Michael McIntyre's 'rocky' road to marriage - with wife from very famous family
Marriage and family life are prominent themes in Michael McIntyre's comedy, with the comic often drawing inspiration from the relatable ups and downs of raising a family. However, a number of fans may not know the story of how Michael wooed and married wife Kitty Ward, with the couple having navigated a "rocky" road in their early days.
As The Wheel returns to the BBC, it's likely wife Kitty will be cheering Michael on along with their two boys, Lucas and Oscar. It hasn't all been plain sailing for the couple, who've been married for more than 20 years.
It wasn't quite love at first sight for Kitty (Getty Images)
Michael knew she was the woman for him during their very first meeting (PA)A tricky start
In his 2010 book, Life and Laughing, Michael admitted that Kitty wasn't quite as smitten as he was when they first locked eyes, writing: "She was the girl I had been looking for. In the romantic comedy that was my life, this would have made a good ending. We would fall happily ever after. Within moments of seeing her and chatting to her, I was totally up for that ending. Unfortunately, she wasn't." Fortunately, aromatherapist Kitty eventually ended up reciprocating Michael's feelings, and the loved-up pair tied the knot in 2003.
Opposition from family
According to Michael, not all members of his family were too happy about him getting a girlfriend, and - in a shocking obstacle to their ultimately happy love story - his grandmother even tried to split them up. During an episode of BBC Radio 4's Dessert Island Discs, Michael divulged: "Unfortunately my grandma didn’t really like it when I got a girlfriend. She was trying to break us up. which was funny for a while but then it became quite vicious, an untenable situation."
The couple said 'I do' in 2003 (WireImage)
Michael's grandmother tried to split the lovebirds up, but ultimately failed (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Famous in-laws
Although Kitty prefers to stay out of the limelight, she comes from a rather famous family. Her father Simon Ward was an acclaimed actor in film and theatre, who starred in classic movies such as The Three Musketeers (1973) and Young Winston (1972), starring alongside the likes of Oliver Reed and Christopher Lee. Kitty's sister, the actress and writer Sophie Ward, has followed in their father's footsteps, appearing in films such as Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) and Jane Eyre (2011). After Simon's death in 2012 at the age of 70, Michael spoke fondly of his father-in-law, stating: "He was one of my closest friends. He would come to my gigs in the early days."
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Family life in swanky London pad
After his net worth soared to more than £75million in 2020 thanks to his BBC career and Netflix deal, Michael invested in an eight-bedroom London home. The property, which is said to be worth £10million, has a swimming pool, cinema room, and gym facilities, The family of four also have a home in Wiltshire. Joking about fatherhood during one of his sets, Michael quipped: "You never love your children more than when they're unconscious, but still breathing."
Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel starts Saturday, September 23, on BBC One and can be streamed on iPlayer
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