Miranda Hart (Image: PA)

Miranda Hart shares 'immediate' connection with new husband on first lockdown date

Actress and comedian Miranda Hart has opened up about her new husband Richard Fairs for the first time, telling a festival crowd that she 'knew immediately' she was in love with him

by · Birmingham Live

Miranda Hart has surprised fans with a revelation about her new husband, confessing to festival-goers that she fell for him "immediately" during a lockdown date at her home. The star of the hit sitcom 'Miranda' has been notoriously private about her personal life but has now disclosed that she tied the knot in secret with her beau in July.

The news, which has left her admirers eager for details, was first mentioned in her latest memoir and then elaborated upon at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, where she opened up about her 'Bristol Boy'. While recounting her initial encounter with 60 year old divorcee Richard Fairs, Miranda shared with her audience that their first date took place at her residence amid the lockdown.

She humorously recounted how they spent two hours talking in her living room as they awaited their pizza delivery, only for hers to arrive resembling a calzone due to an unfortunate mishap. Despite her lengthy complaints about the pizza incident, it didn't deter Richard.

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Miranda admitted: "Unfortunately mine had shunted its way across the box and turned into a calzone. I was going on and on about my shunted pizza and it did not seem to faze him. We had already been talking for about two hours at that point, and I realised almost immediately that I was in love with him.

"It was our first date and to my surprise he came back for a second date, despite me having gone on and on about that pizza.", reports the Mirror.

Miranda was spotted by photographers showing off her wedding ring when her new husband picked her up after her festival performance. Richard, who is believed to be a building surveyor, met Miranda when he came to deal with mould in her house.

He reportedly plays drums for his local swing band and has two children with his ex-partner Jeanne Speight, whom he was with for over 25 years before they separated in 2017. The news of her marriage was first revealed in her autobiography, I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You, which she launched last week.

In the book, Miranda wrote that she tied the knot with the building surveyor in July, noting that their on-off relationship was close to ending before he proposed at Kew Gardens. While appearing on The One Show last week, Miranda shared: "The fact that I met someone during a pandemic, during chronic illness, when I couldn't get out of bed or out of the house... I really, really wanted to meet someone, I didn't want to do life on my own anymore. The fact that I could meet somebody, it's not some some of romcom story but it's hope. Whatever situation you are in, there is always hope, things really do change."