Comedian and actress Miranda Hart has offered a rare and heartfelt glimpse into her personal life, speaking candidly about the profound happiness and sense of liberation she has found in her marriage.
An Unexpected Love Story
The 52-year-old star, famed for her awkward on-screen persona's romantic disasters, revealed she secretly married at the age of 51. Her husband, whom she affectionately called 'The Boy from Bristol' or 'The Mould Man' for years, is named Richard Fairs. The pair met under extraordinary circumstances during the UK's lockdown, when the 60-year-old building surveyor arrived to remediate a severe mould problem in her £2 million home.
In a recent chat with Waterstones to promote her new children's book, A Christmas Tree That Loved to Dance, Hart reflected on this late-in-life romance. "To feel completely freeing and who I am...I am very loved," she said. She described the entire arc of her career and personal life as unexpected, but emphasised that rediscovering joy has been "the greatest gift ever."
Laughter, Dance Breaks and a Postman
Hart illustrated her newfound contentment with characteristically humorous anecdotes. She explained that whether she's just performed for 15,000 people at the O2 Arena or is relaxing at home, her priority is simple: "I just like to be laughing and joyful."
This joy often manifests in spontaneous dance breaks, a perk of being self-employed. She enjoys dancing to everything from classical music to disco, often performing for an audience of one—or sometimes two. "I very much like doing that to my husband and to the postman," she quipped, before recounting a classic Miranda-esque mishap.
"I once saw my husband walk past the window and I opened the front door and poked my leg out and did this sexy leg," she shared. "I came out from behind the door not realising that my husband had walked down the side of the house and I was face to face with another man on his way to the shop."
From Secret Boyfriend to Husband
The comedian first shocked fans with the revelation in the final pages of her memoir, I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You. She wrote movingly about finding "my best friend and the love of my life" at 49, a man who brings her "silliness, laughter, joy, support, care and safety."
She kept his identity and their marital status a secret for some time, referring to him only as "Mr Mould Man." In the memoir, she finally confessed: "I haven't been entirely honest with you, he's not my boyfriend, he's my husband. We got married when I was 51."
Hart noted that her friends were initially incredulous, given the combined obstacles of a global pandemic and a housebound illness due to the mould. Yet, her "knight in shining armour" appeared on her doorstep nonetheless. Appearing on The One Show in October 2024, a beaming Hart told hosts Alex Jones and Alex Scott, "someone's put a ring on it," and joyfully declared she had met "my person" at 49.
Miranda Hart's new book, A Christmas Tree That Loved to Dance, was released in the UK on October 23, 2024.
