Inside the messy love lives of Gavin & Stacey cast..from groping claim to star's affair & James Corden's pass at singer

The Irish Sun

20-06-2025

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
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Ruth Jones, Mat Horne, Joanna Page and James Corden found fame and fortune in Gavin and Stacey
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The sitcom was a hit, but its stars haven't been quite so lucky in love
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Ruth Jones announced this week that she'd split from her husband, David Peet
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Just take actress
Yesterday, the 58 year old revealed that she'd
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.
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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
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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
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He previously dated Sheridan Smith, who played his sister on the show
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He married his wife, Julia Carey, in 2012
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James flirted with Lily in an awkward exchange
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Before meeting his wife,
The pair dated - on and off - for two years, before
In the meantime, during one of their off-spells, James famously tried it on with
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
A marriage that survives Hollywood? As Smithy would say, sounds like they're two peas in a bag.
Mat Horne
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Mat Horne was previously engaged to Evelyn Hoskins
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After they split, he met and fell in love with Celina Bassili
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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
But Evelyn's loss was Celina's gain -
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
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Joanna's been with husband James Thornton since 1999 (pictured here in 2012)
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They hit a rough patch during Covid, but have since come back stronger
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As Stacey,
And, for the most part, her personal life has followed suit. She met fellow actor
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
'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
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
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Alison was previously married to director Mike Leigh (pictured here in 1993)
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She's since been loved up long-term with actor Michael Elwyn
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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
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
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Larry pictured with his third ex-wife, Linda Martin, and their son George Lamb
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He's since found love with Marie Victorine
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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.
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
The pair had one son together - TV presenter
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
They then split in 2016, and Larry's since been happily coupled up with artist
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
Rob Brydon
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Rob and his second wife Clare Holland (pictured in 2015)
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The actor was hilarious as Uncle Bryn
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In real life, he hasn't always had such glowing praise.
The actor was married to his first wife
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
To quote Uncle Bryn: 'It was complicated, Stacey. Very, very complicated.'
Sheridan Smith
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Sheridan gave birth to her and Jamie Horn's son Billy in 2020
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She later rekindled things - briefly - with ex boyfriend Alex Lawler
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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
Unfortunately, their tattoos outlived their fling, which ended later that year.
Sheridan then went on to date insurance broken
They later got engaged, and she gave birth to their
Meanwhile, amid their relationship, Sheridan was rocked by reports she'd
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In 2018, hairdresser Shelley Cloud alleged that Sheridan had groped her
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She briefly dated boxer Dave 'Rocky' Ryan but things fizzled out
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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
Later that year, Sheridan revealed she'd rekindled things with actor
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
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.