Caroline Aherne's love life - bitter divorce to reason she never had kids
Caroline Aherne was a national treasure loved by many - but she sadly never found lasting romantic love.
The comedy legend is being remembered tonight in a new BBC Two film, Queen of Comedy, which celebrates her life and legacy. It hears from those who were close to her, including writer and actor Craig Cash.
The Gogglebox voiceover star, whom Caroline asked to take over her role as she battled with cancer, said he feels the 'presence' of his late friend when recording for the Channel 4 show, and describes the job as "a gift that she left me". The pair also worked together on The Royle Family, which was first broadcast 25 years ago.
It's also been 22 years since Caroline stepped away from the public limelight and seven years since she tragically died at the age of 52 from lung cancer. Best known for her character Mrs Merton and her role as Denise on the BBC sitcom, Caroline gave laughter and joy to those watching at home.
But behind closed doors, she struggled with alcoholism and depression and had a troubled love life - from divorce to losing her partner, and dating those in showbiz, but it sadly never really worked out for Caroline romantically.
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Caroline and Peter Hook wed in 1994 (Rex)The award-winning TV writer and actress married New Order guitarist and house musician on the Mrs Merton show, Peter Hook, in 1994. The pair tied the knot at the Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel in Las Vegas, just before she started to make her mark in the TV world with her eponymous Mrs Merton character.
But the pair, who lived together in Didsbury, Manchester, then split just three years later in April 1997. Following her death, Hook claimed he was physically abused by Caroline. Writing in his autobiography, Substance, he said it meant he "couldn’t in all good conscience" join in the tributes to his ex-wife following her death.
Their relationship came to an end after 'the worst argument ever', in which Hook claimed he feared that she was going to stab him after throwing assorted household items at him. Caroline's brother, Patrick Aherne, said he was "disgusted" by the accusations.
Writing on Facebook at the time, he wrote: "What sort of man would make these claims after the death of Caroline? Is this because she is not here to defend herself? Why did it take Hook 20 years to make these claims?"
The pair then split in 1997 and Caroline started dating a TV researcher (Rex)
Caroline also dated fellow comic David Walliams for a year (Eamonn & James Clarke)Caroline then enjoyed a relationship with TV colleague Matt Bowers, a BBC Technian, after they reportedly met at Granada's Manchester studios. The pair then broke up a year later - just before he tragically died of cancer aged just 28.
She also had a relationship with American actor Alexis Denisof, which ended a few weeks before her 1998 suicide attempt. In July of that year, Caroline ended up at the Priory for a month after mixing three bottles of champagne with antidepressants. She was close to death when her mum Maureen found her.
The following year, the comedy legend began dating fellow comic David Walliams after they met at the Groucho Club in London. Later, writing in his autobiography Camp David, he remembered their time together fondly but also admitted he struggled to be with her because of her well-documented alcohol addiction.
"She was funny, northern and pretty in my favourite sort of way - blonde hair and big t**s. Of course, I was aware of her troubled life, and like most men who were attracted to Caroline, I thought I could save her. Caroline sober, the real Caroline, is the sweetest, kindest, gentlest most loving person you could ever meet," he wrote. "However, when she drank, the alcohol poisoned her mind."
"The situation was making me unbearably sad. It broke my heart that we couldn’t be together." Walliams was one of the first to lead the tributes to Caroline after the sad news of her death broke.
Brett Whitford and Caroline Aherne in 2001 (Alpha Press)
Caroline Aherne arrives at the South Bank Show Awards at the Savoy Hotel on January 23, 2007 in London (Getty)"Devastating news about Caroline Aherne. A true comedy genius, her work was equally funny & touching," he shared. She also dated millionaire businessman Brett Whitford when she moved to Sydney in 2001 to write the Australian-based sitcom Dossa and Joe, which starred Neighbours actress Anne Charleston. They became engaged a year later but after the sitcom bombed, Caroline moved back to Britain - without Whitford.
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He explained why Caroline never wanted children - and it was due to her fear of passing on cancer. She had been diagnosed with a rare eye cancer when she was a baby, which made her partially sighted in one eye.
"We talked about having kids, but she said she couldn’t because of the hereditary nature of the cancer and her other health problems," Whitford told The Sun. "She didn’t want them to go through what she had been through. She always used to say she wouldn’t be any good with kids anyway."
Their relationship made him "happier" for the time they spent together, but Brett's romance with her became strained and eventually ended due to her health, and problems with alcohol as a way to cope. “At the time, I just couldn’t cope with her problems. But I’ll always wonder if by being there I could have put her on a different course," he candidly admitted."
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