Comedian Bob Mortimer has revealed that he proposed to his wife Lisa in an unusual setting: while cleaning the kitchen sink with bleach, just a day before he was due to undergo major heart surgery. The "Last On Laughing" star said he wanted to make their relationship official because he feared he could die on the operating table, which would leave Lisa without access to his money.
A Proposal Amid Bleach and Surgery Fears
Mortimer shared the story during an episode of "Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing," where he arrived late for a fishing trip with Paul Whitehouse after attending a wedding anniversary celebration. When Whitehouse asked about the proposal, Mortimer recounted: "I was in the kitchen, I think I was bleaching the sink. I was going into hospital the day after for my heart op, and I said 'If I die, pet, you know, you get nowt'."
He added: "I said 'If I die, this is going to be a mess for you, because I ain't got no wills or nothing. So, shall we get married?' And combine that statement with the smell of the bleach...just gave us that romantic nudge, you know?"
Wedding Details and Hospital Admission
At a 2016 press conference in central London to promote his tour with comedy partner Vic Reeves, Mortimer explained the timeline: "I found out I needed heart surgery on the Thursday, so I made a will on the Friday." He noted that he discovered he couldn't marry Lisa without 21 days' notice, but his consultant said he was incredibly ill, so the registrar in London granted permission for the wedding on the Monday.
"I got hitched at half nine on the Monday and went to hospital at 10 to have the operation," he said. The couple tied the knot just half an hour before he was admitted to hospital.
Family Life and Honeymoon Plans
Mortimer later posted a photo on X of himself and Lisa, captioning it: "Met 24 years ago. Got married then straight to the hospital. The love of my life, Lisa x". The couple first became an item in 1993 and have two children. When asked if Vic Reeves acted as his best man, Mortimer said: "No, there was just me, the wife and our two kids in the registry office, that's it."
The couple have yet to book their honeymoon, with Mortimer saying: "I haven't had my honeymoon yet, I might go to Barbados."
