By Jane Oddy,Jessica Clarke
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Joanna Page, who portrays the beloved character of Stacey in the BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey, has addressed divorce speculation surrounding her marriage to fellow thespian James Thornton. The pair have been an item for 25 years, with Joanna revealing how they ’emotionally connect’ and then ‘have a bit of sex’.
The twosome first crossed paths whilst filming the BBC drama David Copperfield in 1999 before tying the knot in December 2003. They’re parents to four little ones: Eva, 12, Kit, 10, Noah, eight, and their youngest daughter Boe, three. With her trademark sense of humour, Joanna quipped about divorce during lockdown – a comment that was misconstrued by the media and sparked whispers that their marriage was in trouble.
Joanna disclosed: “I just said that Covid was really difficult for us as a family because me and James argued a lot, and it was like we were going to get divorced every day. I said it jokingly but this newspaper printed it as if I genuinely meant it. I didn’t. I utterly adore him. He’s wonderful.”
Joanna dismissed the speculation and confirmed that passion remains alive between the couple. The actress candidly shared details of their romantic morning rendezvous featuring ‘coffee’, ‘cake’, and ‘sex’.
She said: “We don’t do date nights as there’s too much going on and I can’t be arsed. And while, it’s wonderful and hectic and fun, James and I can go through huge chunks of not seeing or speaking to each other. So now they are all at school, we can sit down, have a little coffee and actually talk.
“James is going, ‘Can we connect in other ways? Let’s go upstairs and have a quick shag on the bed!’ But I’m like, ‘No, let’s have a coffee first. A bit of cake and a chat and, once we’re emotionally connected, then you can have a bit of sex! Suddenly we’ve got a relationship again! It’s wonderful. That’s where we are at the moment.”
She also admitted that their youngest child Boe, was conceived one day after school drop-off when she wandered into the garden and spotted him standing bare-chested.
Joanna said she ‘fancies’ him enormously and he ‘still fancies me, thankfully’. Joanna also gushed about her husband as she disclosed the secret to their lengthy and blissful marriage.
She said: “He makes me laugh and I love his personality. We have the same views and ideas of how we want to live our lives.
“We love being together all the time. But you don’t get through 25 years without ups and downs. Of course we bicker and have arguments and go to bed not speaking, but we always wake up in the morning and never carry the argument on.”