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Once celebrated as having one of the strongest marriages in showbiz, Dawn French and Lenny Henry first met in 1980 as members of the Comic Strip. Four years later, they tied the knot in an extravagant ceremony in Covent Garden.
However, in 2010, they stunned fans when they announced their decision to divorce after more than 25 years of marriage and raising their daughter, Billie.
“The separation is entirely amicable and they fully intend to maintain their close friendship. Their priority is to commit to the future joint parenting of their daughter,” a statement read at the time.
When filing for divorce in 2010, comedy icon Dawn cited Lenny’s “unreasonable behaviour,” and as rumours circulated regarding the comedian’s alleged infidelity—which he denied—he spoke openly in 2016 about the end of their marriage.
“There’s generally a situation where one partner wants the marriage to finish more than the other. I think maybe one of us did, then the other one did, and then the other did over a period of time and then, in the end, we thought, 'Oh, actually maybe we both do,’” he told The Express. “We knew it wasn't possible to continue.”
Both Dawn and Lenny have moved on and found love again. Since 2013, Dawn has been married to charity executive Mark Bignell, and the couple now resides in Cornwall. Meanwhile, Lenny has been in a relationship with theatre director Lisa Makin, also since 2013.
In a 2016 interview with the Daily Mirror, Dawn reflected on her relationship with Lenny, who co-founded Comic Relief, and how they’ve managed to remain close friends. French said: “Remarkably, we seem to have shifted with relative ease from a 25-year marriage to a lasting friendship. I am amazed by us – there is no war, we’ve turned out to be the best of friends. There were lots of good years but one tricky last year.”
In 2012, Dawn started dating Mark, who heads the drug and alcohol abuse charity, Hamoaze House, launched by Dawn’s late mum Felicity. The Vicar of Dibley actress, 67, has since spoken about how she initially didn’t like the idea of dating again, before she met Mark.
She told the Mirror: “I thought oh God, how repulsive. I’ll have to buy new pants. Dating was excruciating and difficult as I’m not an accomplished flirter."
Adding: “Then, bang, I met somebody else. I started to claim my life back. It’s a life with him.”
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