Actress Claire Skinner has opened up about her relationship with her former Outnumbered co-star Hugh Dennis for the first time! The couple, who confirmed they were romantically together in July last year, have kept their personal lives very private over the past year and a bit, but now Claire has spoken out about it in an interview with Lorraine.
Claire, who played Sue Brockman - wife to Hugh's Pete - from 2007 to 2016, tentatively broke her silence in the interview after questioning from Lorraine, calling the romance, "a lovely little life surprise."
Lorraine added, "Thing is if you know someone really well it just cuts out the whole first dates malarkey. You know what his favourite colour is and you know if he likes brown sauce," to which Claire agreed, "Yeah we can just move on. It’s been lovely."
Claire and Hugh first got together last summer, two years after the end of Claire's marriage to Charles Palmer and the demise of Hugh's to Kate Abbot-Anderson - but both stressed that nothing had ever happened between them whilst they had both been in their respective marriages.
At the time, his daughter said, "I am aware of what has happened. My mother does not want to talk about it. Neither do I." But Hugh was not phased by the negativity, and confirmed the news to the Mail On Sunday last year, "I am very, very happy, we are so very happy. It’s nice and yes, it’s so lovely."
Cute!
Scroll through to read about the celebrity couples we NEVER saw coming...
Celebrity couples we never saw coming stacked
1 of 17Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson
After filling for divorce from husband Kanye West, Kim Kardashian started dating Pete Davidson after the pair met on Saturday Night Live.Despite keeping their relationship relatively private, Kim and Pete went Instagram official in April 2022/
2 of 17Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Suits actress Meghan Markle began dating in October 2016 and married in May 2018. Their first child, Archie, was born in 2019. The couple then welcomed their second child, Lilibet Diana, in June 2021.
3 of 17Cheryl and Liam Payne
Cheryl and One Direction singer Liam Payne shocked the world when they announced they were dating back in February 2016. Despite a ten year age gap, the couple welcomed their first child, Bear Grey Payne, back in March 2017.However, in July 2018, Cheryl and Liam released a joint statement revealing they'd split.
4 of 17Channing Tatum and Jessie J
After splitting from his wife in early 2018, EVERYBODY was left in shock when reports suggested Channing Tatum was dating pop star Jessie J. The pair split just months later.
5 of 17Benji Madden and Cameron Diaz
Actress Cameron Diaz married Benji Madden just two months after she met him, despite many not seeing their romance coming. In 2020, the couple announced they'd welcomed their first child together.
6 of 17Stephanie Pratt and Jonny Mitchell
Love Island star Jonny Mitchell and Made In Chelsea's Stephanie Pratt left fans in shock when they confirmed their romance with this picture in September 2017. Sadly, the couple split in December 2017.
7 of 17Gabby Allen and Myles Stephenson
After her split from fellow Love Island star Marcel Somervillle, CBB star Gabby Allen announced she was dating X Factor winner Myles Stephenson. However, the pair split in 2019 after Gabby accused Myles of 'cheating'.
8 of 17Selena Gomez and The Weeknd
Nobody saw a romance between singers Selena Gomez and The Weeknd coming! But they went strong until October 2017 when the pair reportedly split up.
9 of 17Katy Perry and Russell Brand
Katy Perry and Russell Brand married in 2010, much to the surprise of fans. Their marriage was short-lived, leading to a divorce in 2012.
10 of 17Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston
Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston were 2016's most talked about romance! Unfortunately, the couple went their separate ways a year later.
11 of 17Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna
Rob Kardashian started dating Blac Chyna in 2016, despite her previously dating Rob's sister's ex-boyfriend Tyga. They welcomed a baby girl together called Dream and later ended on very bad terms!
12 of 17Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher married in 2010 after a six year engagement. Nobody saw this marriage coming with the unusual movie roles Sacha plays!
13 of 17Nicole Richie and Joel madden
After starring in TV show The Simple Life with her best friend Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie turned a lot of heads when she married Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden in 2010! They share children Harlow and Sparrow.
14 of 17Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Fans of actor Aaron Johnson were left in shock when he married Fifty Shades Of Grey director Sam Taylor. Despite Sam being 24 years older than Aaron, the pair combined their surnames when they got married in 2012. They now have two daughters together, Wylda and Romy.
15 of 17Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy
Olsen twin Mary-Kate married French banker Olivier Sarkozy in 2015, despite a 17-year age gap between the pair. Sadly, the pair split in 2020.
16 of 17Chris Martin and Jennifer Lawrence
After his split from Gwyneth Paltrow, Coldplay singer Chris Martin was spotted getting cosy with The Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence. Despite not actually confirming a romance, the pair reportedly called things off in 2016.
17 of 17Francesca Farago and Demi Sims
TOWIE star Demi Sims and Too Hot To Handle star Francesca Farago left fans shocked in January 2021, when they confirmed they were dating whilst on holiday together in Mexico. The couple shared a cute photo kissing. However, just four months later, the pair confirmed they'd split!
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