Clare Balding's famous wife, their intimate wedding and 'missing' ring drama
Broadcast journalist Clare Balding has a major role in the coverage of King Charles' Coronation, as she'll be commentating on the ceremonial route, which will see King Charles and Queen Camilla travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey and then back again once the ceremony has finished.
And while we're all used to seeing Clare on our screens for important events including the Olympics and Wimbledon, she isn't the only famous face in her family - as many radio listeners will also recognise her wife's voice.
The much-loved presenter, 52, is married to fellow broadcaster and journalist Alice Arnold, whom she met while they were both working at the BBC together in 1999.
Clare Balding and Alice Arnold have been together for over two decades (clarebalding/Instagram)Actress Alice, 60, was a newsreader and continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4 for more than 20 years before she stepped down in December 2012, so you may have heard her voice when listening to the news on your way to work.
Clare and Alice first entered a civil partnership together in 2006, which they celebrated with a drinks party in an 18th-century Palladian villa in Chiswick.
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Nine years later, they returned to the exact same location to get married, although the wedding was a private and intimate event without any guests present.
"They just backdate it to when you did your civil partnership. So officially now we have been married since 2006," Clare explained on the Jonathan Ross Show.
"We didn't have a big party at all actually. Nobody came apart from us."
The pair had a private wedding ceremony with no guests (clarebalding/Instagram)At the time, Clare also spoke about why she feels that same-sex marriages are an important milestone for LGBTQ+ people.
She added: "It's about equality. It's just about knowing that you can and knowing that you can say 'I'm married'. And nobody's going to think that's married in inverted commas, no that, actually married. I think it's great."
While the couple has enjoyed a happy marriage since tying the knot, fans were left concerned about their relationship in 2016, when some noticed that Clare wasn't wearing her wedding ring while presenting the BBC's coverage of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil.
Some viewers took to Twitter to ask the presenter why she wasn't wearing her ring, with one tweeting: "Where's your wedding ring? Is all ok?"
But Alice was quick to shoot down speculation of a split, as she insisted her wife was simply advised not to take any sentimental jewellery with her to Brazil.
She replied to one tweet: "Was advised not to take it with her ... don't worry ... it's safely with me."
To clear up any further confusion, she added: "I'm amazed how many have noticed @clarebalding is not wearing her wedding ring ... don't worry ... it's safely at home with me."
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When another fan was outraged at the thought of it being unsafe in Rio de Janeiro, the ex-Radio 4 newsreader replied: "I'm sure it would be fine, but wise not to wear irreplaceable jewellery."
Alice also revealed that Clare only ever travels abroad with "costume jewellery" so she doesn't lose it.
Clare and Alice don't have any children together, but they are both keen animal lovers and are currently the owners of some adorable cats.
In 2020, however, they were struck by tragedy when they lost their beloved dog, Archie, at the age of 15.
Posting some sweet snaps on Instagram with a poignant message, Clare wrote: "I am so sad to tell you that our beloved Archie has walked his last walk.
"@alicearnold1 and I are broken-hearted but grateful to him for the joy he gave us, the places he took us and the friends he brought us.
"We miss him so much. RIP Archie 2005-2020."
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