07 January 2024 , 18:00
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As the eccentric Northumberland detective DCI Vera Stanhope in hit ITV show Vera, Brenda Blethyn has kept viewers on the edge of their seats since 2011, with fans joining her for every twist and turn.
Now Vera has returned for its thirteenth season, just in time to keep mystery-lovers occupied during the chilly January nights ahead, and it looks set to bring plenty more nail-biting intrigue. As per a teaser for the first episode of the new series, entitled Fast Love, it says: "Fractious relationships and intense rivalries but who would want our barrow boy buried? Meanwhile, a familiar face from the past turns up but what is their agenda?"
As sofa sleuths settle in for another gripping case, we take a look at actress Brenda's life away from the fictional Northumberland & City Police force, including the 77-year-old's rarely spoken-of heartache, and engagement that last 35 years.
Brenda was just 19 years old when she first got married (Getty Images)Heartbreaking end to first marriage
Kent-born Brenda married first husband Alan Blethyn in 1964 when she was just 19 years old, before which point she'd led a rather sheltered life when it came to matters of the heart. Opening up during a candid 2013 interview with The Guardian, Brenda, who was the youngest of nine children, shared: "My brothers looked after me and protected me from predators – so well that I was quite innocent sexually when I came to marry for the first time at 19."
Sadly, just nine years after saying 'I do', Brenda and Alan parted ways, after he found love elsewhere. Showing no hard feelings toward her former spouse, Brenda, who kept Alan's surname as her stage name, revealed: "My first husband, Alan Blethyn, just fell for someone else. I was devastated when he left, but he really was a lovely fella – and the other lady is nice too. It was just one of those things."
Vera's Brenda Blethyn admits 'avoiding fans' to not ‘jeopardise’ filming of show
The Vera actor decided to keep her first husband's surname as her stage name (Getty Images)
She's now happily married to her second husband Michael Mayhew (Getty Images)35-year engagement before second marriage
In 2010, Brenda walked down the aisle once more with Michael Mayhew, former art director at the National Theatre, following a lengthy 35-year engagement. Explaining why exactly they finally decided to exchange vows, Brenda told the Radio Times: "We were getting on a bit and it seemed the sensible thing to do. Neither of us were going anywhere so it just presents a problem if one of us pops our clogs."
Brenda has previously shared her words of widsom for a happy marriage, after lightheartedly reflecting that she and Michael have 'so little in common'. Speaking with the Mail Online back in 2014, Brenda said: "I genuinely think it's about having our own space. We have a place on the coast in my hometown of Ramsgate in Kent, and even when we're there we sit in separate rooms, Michael with his music in one, me with my crossword in another. We have so little in common but the relationship obviously works. Michael makes me laugh like nobody else does, and I think he likes me for my honesty and my kindness."
Season 13 of Vera starts Sunday, January 7 on ITV1.