Charlotte Bellamy, known for playing Laurel Thomas in Emmerdale, lives a life away from the Dales that contrasts sharply with her on-screen drama. The actress has been married to businessman Mungo Denison since 2012, and the couple have been together since they were 18.
Career Before Emmerdale
Bellamy made her Emmerdale debut in 2002, but this was not her first soap role. In 1997, she appeared in EastEnders as religious fanatic Sue Taylor. Her other acting credits include A Touch of Frost and The Broker's Man.
Her work on Emmerdale has earned her several award nominations, and she has won a British Soap Award and a TV Quick & TV Choice Award.
Marriage and Family Life
Mungo Denison is the co-founder and director of SKY MAGIC Drone Shows, a company that contributed to the New Year fireworks seen in London during the 2021 celebrations. The couple share three children: Sunnie, Herbie, and Teddie.
In 2015, Bellamy spoke about balancing work and motherhood, telling the Mirror: "Women feel they have to be super-mum, but my husband, Mungo, is a great help. I have a nanny too, but it’s still hectic."
A Low-Key Wedding
Charlotte and Mungo married in 2012 in a low-key ceremony at a local registry office, attended by close family members. Bellamy paid only £60 for her bridal gown.
In 2015, she revealed to the Sunday Mirror that they had married on a whim. She said: "We didn't invite anyone or tell anyone, we just did it, and it was perfect. We sat there at breakfast and said to the kids, 'We're getting married today,' and they were like, 'What?!' It was hilarious."
Bellamy continued: "We did it on a random Thursday in May 2012. It was a beautiful sunny day. There was no fuss and no stress, it was great. The boys played their part – they handed over a ring each.
"I designed my engagement ring and my wedding band has the children's names engraved inside because we wanted them to be included."
Explaining their decision to skip a lavish ceremony, she added: "We've been together since we were 18. We had talked about it at different times, but then things happened, and we kind of missed the boat. Suddenly, it seemed like the right thing to do, and we wanted to do it our way.
"For some people, a big wedding is the dream, and of course, that's great, but it wasn't really our style. We're quite unconventional. I texted my friends at the end of the day and just said, 'Me and Mungo got married' and they were stunned."
On-Set Accident
In 2024, Bellamy recalled an accident on the Emmerdale set that led to a hospital trip. The incident happened while her character was "making a Bolognese" with a "blunt knife," and the blade slipped.
She said on ITV’s Lorraine: "This is something that happened on set years ago. During filming, I was making a Bolognese, as you do, with a very blunt knife, and I'm chopping, and on the take, I chop the top of my finger off."
She added: "At the time, I was pretend pregnant as Laurel so I had to get rushed into A&E with the prop man and with my pretend bump. They were so confused, and they were more worried about my baby, but obviously, my baby wasn't real, and neither was my husband."
Lorraine Kelly joked: "And then you have to go, that's not my husband and the baby isn't real, but I have actually chopped the top of my finger off with a knife while making Bolognese for a show... and they go 'ahh ok', it's bonkers, isn't it?"
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
