Inside the messy love lives of Gavin & Stacey cast..from groping claim to star's affair & James Corden's pass at singer
IT'S the TV series that proves that love conquers all - even culture clashes, long distance and in the case of Smithy and Nessa, the awkward fact that he's marrying someone else.
But while our favourite Gavin and Stacey characters got their happily ever after in last year's Christmas special, we're afraid the same can't be said for their real-life alter egos.
20
20
20
Just take actress Ruth Jones, who - as well as starring as Nessa - co-created the beloved series with James Corden.
Yesterday, the 58 year old revealed that she'd 'amicably' split 18 months ago from her husband of 26 years, David Peet, 71, and said they were now 'legally separated'.
She added in a statement, 'We remain good friends. Since our separation, Ruth is living in London and David is living in Canada, where he is in a new relationship'.
It's since been revealed he's dating education assistant Jayne Charity Cook, 46, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Gavin and Stacey star.
As friendly as it may be, the break-up has still come as a shock to many - not least given the fact that Ruth and David were together for almost three decades.
Yet their relationship wasn't without its drama early doors.
The pair first met in the 1990s while filming the pilot episode of a BBC comedy; but while she was single, he was married with three children.
She later admitted there was some 'overlap' between her beginning her relationship with David, and him ending his marriage. They married in 1999, and Ruth became a step-mum to his three kids.
She's since spoken about her guilt over the way things started, reflecting, 'Affairs cause a lot of pain; they're not something one aspires to do. You don't aspire to cause pain to people in their life."
As for the rest of the Gavin and Stacey gang, nobody's had it quite so tidy in the love department. In fact, for most of them, it's been downright messy. So, what's occurring when it comes to their respective romantic foibles behind the scenes?
Watch the sweet moment Ruth Jones reunites with Neil the Baby after Gavin and Stacey finale
James Corden
20
20
20
Before meeting his wife, Julia Carey, James, 46, had a tumultuous relationship with his co-star, Sheridan Smith.
The pair dated - on and off - for two years, before finally calling it quits in 2008.
In the meantime, during one of their off-spells, James famously tried it on with Lily Allen, after flirting with her on her BBC chat show.
Reports from the time suggested they did in fact go on several dates, but Lily shut down the rumours quickly, revealing, 'No, I wasn't horny for James Corden…he came on to me in front of a studio audience.
'If I'd have shut him down, I would have been labelled cold or up myself or snobbish.'
James admitted he had been trying to hook up with the star, explaining: "I made it my aim to make Lily mine. I guess we were friends but, for my part, I definitely wanted more than that."
His efforts may not have made the singer Smile, but James had better luck with Julia, who he met after finally ending things for good with Sheridan.
They got together in 2009 and married three years later, with James revealing on Good Morning Britain, 'I absolutely knew minute one that I couldn't do any better than this.
'When I met Jules, I was like it's a miracle every day. She must just look at me and think, 'What did I do? This was a huge mistake.'
Despite his concerns, it seems the feeling's mutual.
The couple, who share three children together - Max, 14, Carey, 10, and Charlotte, seven - are still going strong, and relocated the family back to the UK in 2023 after eight years in Los Angeles.
A marriage that survives Hollywood? As Smithy would say, sounds like they're two peas in a bag.
Mat Horne
20
20
Mat 's alter-ego Gavin may have married Stacey in the finale of season one, but the actor didn't make it down the aisle with his first fiancée, Casualty star Evelyn Hoskins.
The pair announced their engagement in October 2018, but the happy news was short lived as - months later - he was spotted kissing Norwegian set designer Celina Bassili.
But Evelyn's loss was Celina's gain - the latter married Mat in 2021 in an intimate ceremony in Oslo, Norway, and they're still going strong.
As for previous rumours that he once dated Kylie Minogue, the actor's jokingly rubbished the very thought of it.
The 46-year-old previously told The Sun, 'If I'd shagged Kylie everyone would know about it. I would have a T-shirt and a tattoo telling them.
'The idea of people camping outside my mum's house last year to ask her if i'm seeing Kylie is ridiculous. Of course nothing happened…she's Kylie!'
Joanna Page
20
20
As Stacey, Joanna 's always been a hopeless romantic.
And, for the most part, her personal life has followed suit. She met fellow actor James Thornton on the set of David Copperfield in 1999 and they married four years later.
They now share four children - Eva, 12, Kit, 10, Noah, eight, and Boe, three - and live happily in Henley-on-Thames.
However, she did admit things hit the skids during COVID, when the couple found themselves struggling for the first time ever.
'We spent the whole of the first lockdown arguing and threatening to divorce each other,' she's previously said.
'Then we went through a month of literally not saying a single word to each other.'
They've since come back fighting - and Joanna's spoken about spending more time together one-on-one.
Speaking to Natalie Cassidy on the On The Telly podcast last year, she said she'd be taking James away for his 50th birthday.
She said: 'I thought stuff it, I'm going to take me and him away for a couple of days because we've never really been away for a good few days, just the pair of us."
Sounds lush to us.
Alison Steadman
20
The actress, 78, who played Gavin's iconic mum Pam, was previously married to legendary director Mike Leigh.
The pair met at East 15 Acting School in 1967, and got married in 1973, before welcoming two sons together - Toby, now 46, and Leo, now 43.
During their marriage, Alison often appeared in Mike's films, including Abigail's Party, Nuts in May and Life is Sweet.
They split in 1995 and divorced in 2001, but always remained close - and are now dedicated grandparents to Freddy, seven, and Milo, one.
What's more, Alison got her second stab at happily ever after when she met Welsh actor Michael Elwyn.
The pair have now been together for 27 years and enjoy a cosy life in north London, which includes a mutual love of bird watching.
In 2022, she paid tribute to her long-term partner, saying, "I really appreciate how wonderful it is to enjoy doing things with someone at this stage of life, knowing we'll be together until one of us flies away up to heaven."
Larry Lamb
20
20
As Mick, Larry played the patient and down-to-earth antidote to his wife Pam's theatrics.
But in real life, Larry's love life reads a little more dramatically.
He married his first wife Anita Wisbey when he was just 21, and had one daughter with her - Vanessa, who was born in 1969.
Sadly, he only met her once, when she was seven months old, as Vanessa was subsequently adopted by her mother's new husband.
Larry has since expressed his sadness and longing to connect with Vanessa, stating that he thinks about his 'long-lost daughter' often and wondering if she ever had children herself.
As for his romantic life, he didn't let divorce slow him down. His second short-lived marriage was to an American nurse named Jacquie Parris.
Then, following a brief fling with Lady Colin Campbell, he married his third wife, Irish singer Linda Martin, in 1979.
The pair had one son together - TV presenter George Lamb, now 45 - before splitting in 1996.
And since then, it seems Larry's had a different attitude when it comes to marriage, deciding that three was enough after all.
In the mid-1990s, he entered into a long-term relationship with actress Clare Burt, with whom he shares two daughters - Eloise, now 27, and Eva-Mathilde, now 22.
They then split in 2016, and Larry's since been happily coupled up with artist Marie Victorine.
Marie was there to greet Larry when he left the I'm A Celeb jungle soon after he split from Clare, and the pair now share a happy life - splitting their time between London and Marie's native France.
Despite the fact that she's the great granddaughter of Les Misérables writer Victor Hugo, it seems there's nothing miserable about Larry and Marie's long-term love.
Rob Brydon
Rob, 60, won rave reviews for his turn as the hilariously eccentric Uncle Bryn in Gavin and Stacey.
In real life, he hasn't always had such glowing praise.
The actor was married to his first wife Martina Fitchie for nine years, welcoming three children together - Katie, 30, Harry, 28, and Amy, 25.
But the pair split in 2001, leaving Rob 'traumatised'. He's since said it took him 16 years to be able to open up about his heartbreak, not even including it in his 2011 autobiography Small Man In A Book.
Happily, he recovered from the turmoil and found love again with second wife Clare Holland, who he married in 2006. The couple have two sons - Tom, 17, and George, 14 - and live in south-west London.
To quote Uncle Bryn: 'It was complicated, Stacey. Very, very complicated.'
Sheridan Smith
20
20
It's no secret that Sheridan, 43, has had a long and tumultuous dating history.
After splitting from co-star James Corden - who played her brother on Gavin and Stacey - Sheridan briefly dated Scottish actor Ross McCall, and celebrity stylist Graham Nation, who tragically died earlier this year.
She then went on to date Hollyoaks actor Greg Wood in 2015 - and, in a regrettable move, got her right rib tattooed with the words 'Gregory's Girl'. He returned the favour, with the tattoo 'My Sheri Amour'.
Unfortunately, their tattoos outlived their fling, which ended later that year.
Sheridan then went on to date insurance broken Jamie Horn, after meeting on Tinder.
They later got engaged, and she gave birth to their son Billy in May 2020.
Meanwhile, amid their relationship, Sheridan was rocked by reports she'd 'put her hands all over' her hairdresser Shelley Cloud during a boozy session at her home in 2018.
20
20
Shelley alleged that Sheridan had boasted, 'I swing both ways you know' and had also complained about having to pay for her own £10,000 engagement ring.
The actress never responded to the allegations, and she and Jamie remained committed for a while - before splitting in 2021.
Later that year, Sheridan revealed she'd rekindled things with actor Alex Lawler - who she'd previously dated 20 years prior.
The pair seemed to delighted to be back in each other's lives, with Sheridan telling fans, 'Life works in mysterious ways', before calling things off again in 2022.
She then went on to date former boxer Dave 'Rocky' Ryan, but - by early 2024 - things had 'fizzled out'.
As for her current dating life, the actress is keeping her cards close to her chest. But, safe to say, events so far have been distinctly untidy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Sun
Rock legend ‘gives away' he's Glastonbury's mystery performer as he flies into UK days before festival
GLASTONBURY fans have gone wild after one mega music star dropped a huge hint that he's headed to the festival. The American musician has flown in to the UK just days before this year's Glastonbury gets underway at Worthy Farm. 5 5 Fans are convinced he will be making a 'surprise' appearance at the huge music event - especially as he has done it before. Dave Grohl, 56, has sent fans into a spin after posing for a photo with US singer Amanda Palmer at London 's Royal Albert Hall. Amanda was backstage at a gig by rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs when she bumped into the Foo Fighters legend. After grabbing Dave for a photo, she shared it on social media and told her followers: "Well I'll be damned. Not who I expected to run into backstage at the Yeah Yeah Yeah's show in London tonight, but look, it's Dave Grohl. She added: "We shared a sweet conversation mostly singing the cosmic praises of Melissa auf der Maur, whose magnificence truly obscures both of us. "It was really nice to meet you, Dave." Writing on Reddit, fans have been quick to make the connection between Dave's trip to London and next week's Glastonbury Festival. In 2023, a mystery act called The Churn Ups caused a stir when they featured on the Pyramid Stage bill. Fans went into a frenzy trying to work out who the band was, before they were eventually unmasked as The Foo Fighters. Starting a new thread on Reddit, music fans are now convinced Dave will be making another surprise appearance at Glastonbury. Fans slam Glastonbury as 'worst one ever' as full lineup announced One wrote: "Dave Grohl is in London, likely will be at the festival. Has done bits with John Fogerty in the past and other acts. Surely will be popping up at places this year?" Another replied: "Drumming for Alanis Morrisette possibly? Tribute for Taylor Hawkins?" And a third added: "100% will be milling about - I'd say a couple of guest appearances are a safe bet. Maybe Alanis for a song or Neil Young for an encore." The Foo Fighters' surprise Glastonbury set in 2023 was the first time the band had been at the festival since headlining in 2017. It was also their first major gig in the UK following the death of the band's drummer Taylor Hawkins, who passed away in March 2022 aged 50. Taylor had joined The Foo Fighters in 1997 and, prior to that, was the drummer on Alanis Morrissette's tour. Canadian musician Alanis is listed to perform on the Pyramid Stage at 6.15pm next Friday (June 27), which would be the perfect time for Dave to appear. Other headliners this year include The 1975, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX, Doechii and The Prodigy. Glastonbury 2025 - confirmed acts so far TICKETS to the 2025 festival sold out in just minutes before some of the acts were even confirmed. Here is who has been confirmed so far. Confirmed headliners: The 1975 will take to the Pyramid Stage on Friday. Neil Young will headline the festival for the second time after his last set in 2009 on Saturday after RAYE makes her return. Charli xcx will headline the Other Stage on Saturday night. On Sunday, Olivia Rodrigo is due to belt out her hits for her first appearance while Rod Stewart will perform in the legends slot. More acts to appear on the Other Stage include Loyle Carner and The Prodigy. Doechii will make her Glastonbury debut on the West Holts Stage on Saturday night. Other names confirmed include Noah Kahan, Alanis Morissette, Gracie Abrams, Busta Rhymes, Lola Young, Brandi Carlile, Myles Smith, En Vogue, Amaarae, Cymande, Shaboozey, Osees and Gary Numan. Rod Stewart will also be performing in the Legends slot, having previously headlined at Worthy Farm 23 years ago. This week, the rock icon revealed in an interview how much he is being paid to perform this year - and how much he is set to lose. Rod told the Radio Times: "It was about eight months ago when I was asked to do it, maybe a little longer. But it didn't fit with my schedule because I've got to bring everybody back from America. "It's going to cost me £300,000 to do it and they only pay you about 120,000 quid. So it's going to cost me." 5 5 5
The Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Sun
EastEnders' Lorraine Stanley looks slimmer than ever after dramatic five stone weight loss
EASTENDERS' Lorraine Stanley looks slimmer than ever after undergoing a dramatic five stone weight loss. Lorraine, 48, who recently hit out at fab jab claims, put on a jaw-dropping display in a tie-dye grey dress with her 10-year-old daughter, Nancy. 4 The mother-daughter-duo busted some moves to a song set to slow motion in their kitchen in an Instagram Story. Lorraine, who shares Nancy with her partner Mark Perez, flashed a beaming smile while dancing away with the sprog. The soap star has been putting her new physique on full display in recent times. Just last month, she sported a slimming flower print crop top and trousers combo as she partied the night away at a special bingo event. Underneath the tied top, she donned a skin-tight white vest which only emphasised her tiny waist. For shoes, Lorraine opted for complimentary open-toe leather platform strapped heels for the occasion. Alongside flaunting her physique, the star also opened up on a huge new milestone in her life. She captioned the snap: "5 months sober & still had a good night dancing! #Sobriety." The TV star also told how her changing figure was not down to popular weight loss jabs like Ozempic or Mounjaro. Instead, Lorraine opted for a gastric sleeve operation. EastEnders star Lorraine Stanley stars in very racy new film featuring full-frontal nudity One inquisitive fan on TikTok asked for Lorraine's secret, to which she simply answered back in the comments: "Gastric sleeve." A gastric sleeve is a weight loss procedure that removes a significant portion of the stomach, creating a smaller, sleeve-shaped pouch. The actress was written out of Eastenders in 2023 after seven years on the show in a huge shock to fans. Her character's axing was as part of a shock cast shake-up and her final scenes were aired in December of that year. She went onto reprise her fan-favourite role a number of times in 2024 before her last episode hit BBC screens in June. 4 4 4
The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The internet's nastiest gossipmonger has been exposed and guess what – he wants his privacy
With as much as two weeks to kill before nuclear winter sets in, many of you will be looking to road-test your new fallout suits. In which case: can I interest you in the sensational unmasking of the founder of Tattle Life? It turns out the guy who operates the radioactively toxic gossip forum is a 'vegan influencer' – I think it's one of those new types of job, dear – and his name is Sebastian Bond. From that professional description, Sebastian would never hurt a living creature – unless it's a mummy blogger, in which case he would gut her like a pig. Metaphorically, of course! Sorry, but that is simply the price you pay for not declaring the nappies you're unboxing on Instagram are actually sponsored. But I'm racing ahead. If you're not familiar with Tattle Life, it's an online forum that claims to be 'a commentary website on public business social media accounts' – much in the way the torpedoing of the Lusitania was a commentary on the commercial cruise business. At one point Tattle Life was said to have 12 million monthly visitors. Which, to put it into context, is more than the Times and Sunday Times website gets, and considerably surpasses the visitor numbers of something like GB News. The other thing Tattle Life says about itself on its homepage is: 'We have a zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful or harmful.' This is a little bit like the Racing Post saying it has a zero-tolerance policy for stories about horses, greyhounds or sports betting. In effect, Tattle Life comprises a pulsating collection of live threads, in which anonymous users spend their lengthy wine time ignoring their own kids in order to obsessively tear down Stacey Solomon for some infinitesimal perceived mistake she's made with hers that day. That's it, Tattlers – you crack open another chilled box of rosé and remorselessly slag off, dox or expose this or that influencer/Instagrammer/minor rando for infringements of a code of which you're the self-appointed enforcers. And if you don't like that description of yourselves, boohoo. What, NOW you want accuracy and restraint? Anyway, the site has been positively thriving like this for some years, despite regular petitions to take it down and frequent outpourings of distress from celebrities, sublebrities and whatever the class of recognition below even that is, many of whom believe it has either destroyed their professional lives and/or mental health, or had an incredibly good go at trying. Two such victims were Neil and Donna Sands, a Northern Irish couple with a clothing line and various other small businesses. Donna discovered she had been targeted by site users in 2021, when a friend alerted her to the fact that people in her office were laughing over a 45-page thread about her. Forty-five pages! I guess no snowflake in an avalanche feels responsible. The deranged interest/abuse continued, to the point of posting her whereabouts at any given time, and drove Donna almost to the point of nervous breakdown. The pair sued Tattle Life for defamation and, after a long and complex battle, won. They were awarded a combined £300,000 in damages as well as costs – now estimated to total about £2m. But who was to pay? Tattle Life was run anonymously, and it was only a week ago that the high court of justice in Northern Ireland lifted various reporting restrictions and orders, leading to one Sebastian Bond being exposed as the operator of the site. Many think the floodgates to further legal action will now open, but whatever Tattle Life's fate, it's interesting as a period piece. The site sprang up in an era when fame came to be regarded as a grasping business decision and not as a cultural accolade. Anyone who made money in the public eye was fair game for anything. And look, no one likes a grift, we can all have sympathy for people who feel they're being missold something or other, and most of us would fear the Faustian bargain of explicitly monetising our personal lives, let alone our children. But the elevation of even tiny bits of poetic licence by individuals most people have never heard of to the level of massive consumer fraud is mad – and says so much more about the self-styled cops of our age than the robbers. In the end, investigators got Bond via his own site's preferred methods – obsessively tracking his public digital footprint, piecing together bits of often contradictory information, searching for chinks in his armour. The biter was bit. And, would you believe, Sebastian had pretended to be a woman on Tattle. Went by the name of Helen McDougal. 'I was just not surprised that it was a man pretending to be a woman,' Donna Sands told the Mail this week, 'and pitting these women against each other – driving them to their darkest places.' So where is Sebastian Bond now? Some reports place him in Thailand, while others ran pictures of his parents' nice house in Somerset. As for who he is … he's a man posing as a woman in the course of drawing profit, an individual dedicated to exposure who didn't have the nuts to reveal himself, a grifter who'd rather vanish than face his own music. In fact, so vast is the disconnect between who Sebastian really is and who he presented as for his moneymaking activities that there really ought to be hundreds of skin-flayingly vicious threads about him on Tattle Life. And yet, needless to say, there aren't. Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist
