Martin Clunes, the beloved actor best known for his role in Doc Martin, may be happily married to Philippa Braithwaite now, but his first marriage to actress Lucy Aston ended in a dramatic way. The couple, who were married from 1990 to 1997, saw their relationship unravel over the years, especially after Lucy shifted her focus to a career as a crisis counselor.
According to Lucy, a pivotal moment came during a heated argument at a Chinese restaurant, where Martin allegedly made a shocking remark: “You are an embarrassment.” This led to a dramatic breakup, with Lucy returning her wedding ring and telling The Mirror: “He told me I was boring and different, and I just thought: ‘No more.’”
She recalls, “I stood up and said, ‘Thanks for dinner – this is the end,’ and stormed out. I sat in the car shaking with rage. We both knew it was over… he tried to make out he had told me, but the truth is he just didn’t want me there.”
Though Martin rarely speaks about his first marriage, he did call it “rotten” in a 2008 interview.
In the same year as his divorce, Martin met Philippa Braithwaite and proposed while filming in Hawaii. They married soon after and have one daughter, Emily, born in 1999. Martin often praises his marriage to Philippa, saying in a SAGA interview, “At the end of the day, I suppose, everybody should marry my wife. But too late, I already did. And I’m not letting her go.” He added, “I still feel totally thrilled to see her, like it’s the first time. It never stops.”
