Keith Lemon's love life with rarely-seen wife as he weighs in on Russell Brand
Last night, Leigh Francis broke his silence over the sexual assault allegations that have been levied against his friend, Russell Brand. The star, who is best known for portraying outlandish character Keith Lemon on Celebrity Juice, said he felt 'sad' for both Brand and the women involved.
Brand, 48, has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse at the height of his fame in an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches – allegations which he vehemently denies. And speaking to MailOnline, comedian Leigh said: "I promised myself I wouldn't comment on it - it's just sad, isn't it? It's a saddening thing for everyone. It's sad for the ladies, it's sad for his family and it's sad for him."
Admitting he fears being cancelled because, "It's easy to offend loads of people," he insisted he doesn't ever worry about being hit with similar claims to those Brand is facing because of his long-term partnership and marriage. "I've been married to the same lady since I was a little boy," he said of his wife, Jill Carter. "I met my wife when I was 19, and I got married when I was 30 to the same lady, so there's no worry about me getting cancelled for that.'
The couple met when they were in their teens and have two daughters together (Dave Benett/Getty Images for YRDS Agency)Leigh, who was born and raised in Leeds, tied the knot with his childhood sweetheart Jill back in 2002 at Allerton Castle in North Yorkshire, and the couple have two daughters together, Matilda and Dolly. Unlike her famous husband, beauty therapist Jill prefers to keep largely out of the spotlight.
In July this year, the pair made a rare joint appearance at sport agency YRDS' launch party in Covent Garden, socialising with other celebs including JLS' Marvin Humes and presenter Natalie Pinkham. It's known that Jill prefers venturing out with her other half when he isn't playing his alter-ego, so they can act like a 'normal' couple.
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In an interview with The Sun in 2016, after attending the TRIC Awards with Jill, Leigh explained: "I promised her Keith wouldn't be there so we could just have a bit of time on our own being normal. You can tell it's me instead of Keith because I've got my hair tied back into a tiny bun like a fashion nonce."
Leigh was 19 years old when he met Jill, who was 16 at the time, and has said there was 'nothing wrong with them dating' as Jill was 'old enough'. In an interview with MailOnline, Leigh praised his partner and said he's regularly told that he's 'punching'. "Everyone thinks that we wake up and the comedy starts but it's not like that. She sees the real me, the grumpy me," he said. "She holds it together for in the family, Jill is an amazing woman." Leigh added that Jill does 'everything' and is 'a brilliant mum'.
Jill prefers to attend events with husband Leigh and be 'normal', instead of the Keith persona (Mike Marsland/WireImage)
The pair married in 2002 in North Yorkshire and Leigh's best man was his close pal called Keith Lemon (WireImage)On Good Morning Britain earlier this year, the comic gave fans an insight into his personal life and wedding day, when he opened up about the character's origins and the 'real Keith Lemon'. Speaking to host Ben Shephard, Leigh revealed: "That's my friend that I've known since I were three. I said to him, 'I'll say your name on TV', and he said 'How are you going to do that?' I said 'I'll give a character your name!' and then... This happened!"
Viewers were shown a string of pictures of Leigh as Keith, alongside his real friend, Keith Lemon. Ben went on to reveal that the real Keith acted as Leigh's best man at his wedding to Jill, with Leigh adding: "He was my best man, yeah. His best man speech was very unique."
Leigh takes to social media to share his happy marriage with his wife, regularly posting photos for their anniversary. Last October, he wrote: "Happy anniversary to my most favourite and best! 30 years together 19 married! How time flies when ya madly in love! I've fed the dog, see ya when I'm back from @gmb love you loads and loads xxx." In another post, Leigh said that he's loved Jill "ever since we were kids".
The couple live together in North Yorkshire and have never shared photos or details of their children, but have been spotted out and about with them. In a BAFTA interview years ago, Leigh said: "I prefer being anyone but me, apart from when I'm at home with my kids."
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