Inside David Tennant's private life as he's celebrated for trans support

Metro

30-04-2025

David Tennant has been widely praised for his consistent advocacy for the trans community, having been vocal against the likes of JK Rowling and Kemi Badenoch.
Last year, he told the Leader of the Opposition to 'shut up' at the British LGBT Awards, and gave a dignified response to Rowling during an episode of ITV's The Assembly, saying: 'Listen, JK Rowling is a wonderful author who has created brilliant stories and I wish her no ill will but I hope that we can all, as a society, just let people be. Just get out of people's way.'
The Scottish actor is best known for playing the 10th and 14th incarnations of Doctor Who, with roles in hit dramas from Good Omens to Broadchurch.
He has also worked extensively on stage and made a surprise appearance on The Masked Singer, as well as hosted the Baftas.
Tonight, he's returning to screens in a new ITV gameshow, titled Genius Game.
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It sees David take on the role of The Creator and guide players as they attempt to navigate uniquely crafted challenges.
To win, contestant have to participate in games designed to test their intellect as well as encourage them to manipulate their opponents in order to win the cash prize.
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But when he's not pursuing showbiz endeavours, on the red carpet or speaking out in favour of trans rights, David is a dad of five and a devoted husband.
Let's meet his family…
David met wife Georgia on the set of Doctor Who in 2008 while she starred in the role of the Time Lord's daughter, Jenny.
Georgia's life is intrinsically linked to the BBC series, as her dad, Peter Davison, played the fifth Doctor.
When previously speaking on That Gaby Roslin Podcast, Georgia, 40, admitted she was the 'driving force' of the relationship at the start.
'I very much forced it into happening, didn't I? I was very much the driving force. Had I not worked quite so hard, it might not have happened,' she shared.
Giving his version of events, David added: 'That makes it sound like I was resistant, which was not what happened. I thought we were an unlikely life partnership, I suppose. There is a bit of an age gap.'
They married in December 2011, and Georgia marked their 10-year anniversary with an unseen wedding snap and the caption: 'The happiest day followed by the happiest life. Thanks DT.'
Georgia, who played a fictionalised version of herself in BBC's Staged, previously revealed a casting director rejected her to play the part of David's partner because she wasn't 'convincing.'
She regaled to the Radio Times: 'Nobody seemed to want to let me do it. For one part I was told by a casting director that I wasn't a convincing partner for him…I was like, 'But we're married. With quite a few kids!'
'So, basically, every actor who could possibly play the part would have to be eliminated in order for me to be allowed to play his wife…'
David and Georgia have five children: Olive, 14, Wilfred, 12, Doris, 10, Birdie, six, and Georgia's eldest child Ty, who the Good Omens actor adopted.
The 23-year-old is following in his parents' footsteps and has acted in War of the Worlds and House of the Dragon.
Ty previously told Metro.co.uk that he sought his parents' advice before his first major role.
'When it comes to most of the auditions that I do, they really help me out. Figuring out how I'm going to do it when I go in, what the character should feel like,' he explained.
'My first day on set, properly, before I went up to Cardiff, I had a pep talk with my parents and they were like 'this is your first proper day at work, and you're going to enjoy it most of the time, and you're going to really have a good time. But there are some things to keep in mind.'' More Trending
'So always be on time, always know your lines. There's a thing about the lunch queue, and to never skip the lunch queue.'
The couple take their children's privacy incredibly seriously but in celebration of David returning to Doctor Who, the excited mum shared a family snap.
David beamed from ear to ear as he held his youngest and hugged his family, although their faces were covered.
A version of this article was published on February 18, 2024.
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