Siobhan Finneran, 60, has shared a refreshingly candid perspective on the time she spends apart from her partner, Death in Paradise actor Don Gilet, 59, as the couple continue to maintain separate households.
The Time actress, who stars as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O'Dell in the BBC series, pointed out that the pair are used to seeing each other less frequently anyway. They first met on the set of ITV's crime drama The Loch, where Finneran played DCI Lauren Quigley and Gilet took on the role of forensic psychologist Blake Albrighton. Around a year later, in 2018, their working relationship developed into a romance.
Separate homes and busy schedules
Finneran resides in Saddleworth, while Gilet lives in north London. Despite the physical distance, she maintains that they cope admirably. Speaking to The Times in an interview from December last year, she said: "That's just the way it is, isn't it? That's how it's always been. And he's out of the country for seven months a year doing Death in Paradise anyway."
Finneran also revealed that she has travelled to the French Caribbean island, which she describes as an "amazing place", to visit Gilet during filming.
Dismissing the 'power couple' label
Finneran was quick to dismiss any suggestion that they are a "power couple", confessing they can be "hopeless" when trying to coordinate themselves, joking: "I've not heard that one before."
She added: "We are both off the telly. Other than that we're pretty normal. You wouldn't think we were a power couple this morning, both running around trying to get out of the house on time. Hopeless."
Going public and working together again
Following months of speculation, Finneran initially confirmed her relationship with Gilet when she affectionately referred to the actor as "my fella" during an interview with The Guardian. Prior to this disclosure, the pair had been spotted holding hands at several entertainment industry events before publicly confirming their romance.
The couple got the opportunity to work together again earlier this year, as the Happy Valley actress appeared as a guest star on the 15th season of Death in Paradise, portraying Fleur Edwards. Speaking to This Morning about their on-screen reunion, Gilet cheekily joked: "She has come a long way. Have you not seen the stillness she's created in front of the camera since being with me? There's something – you can't bottle it. There's something about the way she acts now. There's a new confidence to her and she gets more work now."
Time continues on Sunday October 18 from 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
