Martin Clunes has been happily married for more than 25 years to his wife, with whom he also has a professional relationship.
The 63-year-old actor has returned to television screens in ITV’s new crime thriller Out There as he takes on the role of Monmouthshire farmer Nathan Williams, whose son becomes entangled in a dangerous county lines drug-dealing gang. He has long been a familiar face on British television, best known for his role as the gruff GP Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin.
The Men Behaving Badly and Manhunt actor has been married to TV producer Phillipa Braithwaite since 1997. Phillipa has worked on several of his most well-known projects, including Out There and Doc Martin.
She has won several awards during her career, including the prestigious Producer of the Year award at the 1998 British Independent Film Awards, and a BAFTA nomination for her executive producing role on Manhunt. The couple share a daughter, Emily, 25, who has taken a step out of the limelight in pursuing a career as an equine vet.
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Dave Benett Library)Martin opened up about his proposal to Phillipa, revealing he popped the question while away filming in Hawaii. After missing her while spending time apart, he popped the question the moment she arrived, despite her being jet-lagged from the long journey.
But after spending more than 25 years happily married, Martin says humour plays a vital role in keeping the spark in their relationship. Speaking to Saga Magazine, he said: "I can't totally analyse why it works, although I suppose some things are obvious; we make each other laugh, for example, and I know I have to make my wife laugh to keep her because her dad was very funny, too, and she's funny and so is our daughter, Emily."
He then joked: "At the end of the day, I suppose, everybody should marry my wife. But too late, I already did." He also added that their working relationship plays a big role in their happy marriage.
"It helps that we've always worked together, from the very beginning when we met, and we're partners in our company, Buffalo, and yet we do totally different things," he explained.
"I call her 'The Boss', but, actually, it's a very equal partnership. She'll be in her office and I’ll be on set or in the studio and then, at some point in the day, she'll turn up and, hand on heart, I still feel totally thrilled to see her, like it's the first time. It never stops."
The family live on a farm near Beaminster in Dorset, which they bought in 2007. They had initially been looking for land for a pony for their daughter Emily, resulting in their 130 acre farm.
Now, the family have leaned into farming, with horses, cattle, dogs, cats and chickens on site. Martin has previously opened up on the challenges of country life, calling it a "learning experience" but one they have fully embraced.
"We always wanted a field for a pony for our daughter Emily," he said on This Morning. "And one never came up and suddenly, 130 acres came up".
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