Joanna Lumley has enjoyed a long and happy marriage to husband Stephen since 1986; however, she’s had other high-profile romances in the past.
From a miracle baby, two husbands, and brutally honest confessions about her mortality, here’s an inside look at Joanna‘s personal life…
You can catch the 79-year-old on Joanna Lumley’s Danube tonight on ITV1 (Friday, May 23).
Joanna Lumely and marriage to husband of 38 years
In the 1960s, Joanna had a high-profile romance with photographer Michael Claydon, with whom she had her only child, son Jamie.
Between 1970 and 1971, she was married to ‘Allo ‘Allo! star Jeremy Lloyd.
However, it’s her marriage to Stephen Barlow that has lasted. The couple tied the knot back in 1986 after having met at a friend’s wedding.
Joanna once opened up about their first meeting.
“I felt like I’d had a kind of electric shock; it wasn’t a matter of falling instantly in love, it was the impact of a colossal shock, completely memorable,” she said.
Stephen has also spoken of first encountering Joanna, saying: “Jo looked amazing in a turquoise coat. I’d never seen anything so glamorous and statuesque.”
Joanna Lumley on the secret of her long marriage to husband Stephen
Last year, during an interview with Radio Times, Joanna revealed some secrets behind a long and happy marriage.
“I think, respect your partner and always treat them as the most important person in the world,” she said.
She also admitted that she’s picked up on some of his TV habits over the years.
“You get fond of what your partner likes. I’ve become fonder of car racing because he likes that,” she said.
In 2019, during an appearance on the Jonathan Ross Show, the star opened up about the effect her travelling has on their marriage.
“We are both independent. I love being on my own. When I’m away, I don’t even phone home,” she said.
“Incidentally, I come from a different generation where we couldn’t usually afford to phone home, so I’ve never been used to it. I like to write a postcard. I won’t phone, that takes your travelling head away from you… You don’t want people to keep phoning. If you’re on the other side of the world it’s always the wrong time,” she then added.
Joanna Lumley on her ‘miracle baby’
At the age of 21, Joanna gave birth to her only child, son Jamie.
However, the actor had never expected to be a mother, thanks to doctors previously telling her that she would never be able to have children.
Speaking to the Guardian about her son, she said: “Doctors had told me I could never have children, so I went on working until I was six months pregnant because they kept saying I wasn’t pregnant. Jamie was born at seven and a half months. It was a miracle for me.”
In 2023, she shared some secrets on motherhood during an interview with Hello! magazine.
“My advice to new parents would be to give your children unconditional love, it’s the greatest gift we have as a parent,” she said. “I also remember my parents giving me advice when I was young – it didn’t seem to make much sense at the time, but it has always stayed with me and now makes complete sense!” she said.
Joanna is now a grandmother to two granddaughters. She described it as “absolute heaven” when they come to stay with her during an interview with the Northern Echo.
On ‘not having long left’
Speaking in My Weekly earlier this year, Joanna opened up about her own mortality. As she admitted, “beloved friends are beginning to leave”, she also admitted that her “time must be coming quite soon”.
“As you near the top of the hill you suddenly think, ‘Gosh, there’s not all that amount of time left’. My time must be coming quite soon, and I don’t want to have wasted a minute of being on this beautiful planet,” she said.
She also urged young people to worry less. “I used to panic when I was young, but as I’ve got older I’ve started literally to live day to day. With age, you work out what matters. I always knew that good stuff would come along when I was older. When I was 18, I longed to be 30. When I was 30, I longed to be 50. We mustn’t be led into thinking getting old is bad. Growing old is good,” she said.
Joanna Lumley’s Danube airs tonight (Friday, May 23) at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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