Silent Witness' David Caves' life from rarely-seen wife to unusual hobby

22 January 2024 , 19:00

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David Caves plays Jack Hodgson in BBC's Silent Witness (Image: BBC Studios)

Silent Witness star Jack Hodgson is besotted with Dr Nikki Alexander on screen - but in real life, the actor is happily married with kids.

David Caves, who has played the role of Jack since 2013, is in a relationship with his colleague, portrayed by Emilia Fox, in the popular BBC crime drama. But when the cameras stop rolling, the 44-year-old goes home to his wife and children.

The Northern Irish actor keeps his family life relatively private, however is known to have tied the knot with finance manager, Verity Cunningham, in 2019. The couple share two kids and welcomed their second baby in January last year. David was previously linked to his co-star, actress Lisa Dillon, who he met on The Taming of Shrew production in 2012.

He was previously linked to actress Lisa Dillon in 2013 (Dan Wooller/REX/Shutterstock)

He's been married to Verity Cunningham for four years (Dan Wooller/REX/Shutterstock)

David's on-screen persona Jack is a boxer, amateur cage fighter, and mixed martial arts fighter - and his character's hobbies have hugely influenced his own. After securing his Silent Witness role in 2012, David said he wanted to take up fighting so he could learn as much as possible for the fight scenes. He's now known to enjoy martial arts.

The TV star grew up in Belfast and attended the prestigious Campbell College, where his parents Michael and Naomi, were both teachers. The family lived on-site until David went to study modern languages at the University of St Andrews. In 2002, he graduated and spent a year teaching in France, before pursuing his love of acting.

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David previously told Belfast Live: "I was rubbish at maths but enjoyed rugby. And now that I'm playing a member of the pathology team some people seem to think it would be a natural job for me, but it would be a disaster. I was really rubbish at the sciences at school - really rubbish. My parents were very surprised when I told them I wanted to be an actor but they were shocked."

He continued: "After all the effort they had put in, all the encouragement, all the money spent on fees and uniforms and everything else, they were surprised by my choice but they always supported me and never once stood in my way." In 2005, David graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and starred in a number of productions, including Romeo and Juliet.

The dad-of-two made a name for himself in theatre and took on roles in Twelfth Night, Wuthering Heights, Macbeth, Hercules and The Changeling, before he bagged the role of Jack in the 16th series of Silent Witness. David has since appeared on the big screen in the 2014 war film, Ironclad: Battle for Blood, and 2016 drama film, Jackie.

Nia Dalton