Stephen Graham has revealed how he persuaded his future wife Hannah Walters not to move to Spain to be with another man. The Adolescence star, 53, has been married to Hannah, 52, since 2008, after they met at theatre school. They share two children: daughter Grace, 21, and son Alfie, 19.
Speaking on the Table Manners podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware, Stephen described the early years of their relationship as being like 'friends with benefits'. He admitted he had 'commitment issues' and had never taken Hannah on a date in five years.
A wake-up call in Spain
Stephen said: 'We were friends with benefits. I was s*** at that time. I had commitment issues. We were both young – I was 20 and she was 19. But what happened was she went to Spain and she was there for a little bit and met this fella called Paco.'
'She was gone for a while and came back and we'd never been on a proper date but it was one of those that you don't really know what you're [missing] until it's gone,' he added. When Hannah returned, she told him she was going to move to Spain for Paco.
One date changed everything
Stephen then asked her out on a date: dinner and a viewing of Saving Private Ryan. He recalled: 'We ended up at New Cross Station and she was going to Spain in two days so my a** went, I've got to try and pull this out the bag somehow. And I don't know where it came from but I went, "I love you", and she said, "I've been waiting five years for you to say that".'
'She never went to Spain and within three days we moved in together,' he said. As for Paco, Stephen added: 'Thankfully Paco packed off.'
A lasting partnership
At the Primetime Emmy Awards last year, Stephen paid tribute to Hannah while collecting his trophy for best actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for Adolescence. He described her as his 'rock' and his 'world', saying: 'You are my soulmate, and you know and I know, without you I would be dead. From the bottom of my heart, I love you with everything I have. Namaste everyone, thanks very much.'
Speaking to Lancashire Live, he also called Hannah his 'bezzie' mate, adding: 'Which is the best way, isn't it? After a while, we just thought, "This is daft, do you know what I mean? We like each other, we should get together."'
Hannah is an actor in her own right, having appeared alongside Stephen in work including Boiling Point, A Thousand Blows and This Is England. She told The i in 2022: 'I've always kind of taken a little bit of a backseat. Stephen has had more of a prolific career, and when we were both starting out, one of us needed to get a normal job. Acting doesn't help pay the mortgage when you're young.'
Hannah also serves as a producer with Stephen for their company Matriarch Productions. She was a driving force behind Adolescence, acting as executive producer while also appearing in a cameo as teacher Mrs Bailey. 'Behind every little Scouser, there's a strong Midlander!' she told the Irish Independent.
