Mock the Week star was 'close to suicide' when wife discovered he'd cheated

29 August 2023 , 15:32

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Mock the Week star was 'close to suicide' when wife discovered he'd cheated

Mock The Week star Mark Watson has revealed that he had embarked on a three-year affair after his comedy career started to wane.

The 43-year-old father of two candidly opened up about the affair in his memoir Mortification: Eight Deaths and Life After Then and also revealed that his wife found out shortly after giving birth to their second child. In a desperate attempt to ease the pain of his career spiralling out of control, the comedian sought comfort in the arms of another woman.

Mark had found fame on shows including Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You but prior to that he had become a popular figure on the comedy circuit and even won the 2002 Open Mike Award at the Edinburgh Festival.

Mock The Week Mark Watson explained he was close to suicide after his three-year-long affair was exposed (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

But as his popularity started to plateau and he was dropped from his management team, his mental health took a pounding and he started to drink heavily. And it was at this time that he sought solace with another woman behind his wife's back which shattered his marriage into little pieces.

During an interview with The Times on the back of the release of his autobiography, he explained: "It gives me zero pleasure to admit it, but I just wanted to win at everything – but the reality was I was doing badly. It was humiliating having to accept the fact I wasn’t special but just an average man suffering cliched failures and problems. Having an affair was a way of avoiding all that."

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Mark shares two children with his ex Emily Howes whom he married in 2005. In his book he also talks about how he suffered with his mental health, so much so, he claimed that he was just "a couple of text messages" away from suicide. He went on to say: "I just didn’t care about my life. I’d massively hurt my wife and the person I had an affair with. And I hadn’t achieved much in doing so. There was a moment when I thought, 'My total contribution to the world has actually been mostly negative'".

It remains unknown how Mark's wife discovered the affair but the couple split in 2019 despite attempts at marriage counselling. And a while later, after realising that attempts to patch up his marriage were futile, he started dating comedy producer Lianne Coop.

In his book, Mark opens up about the perils of starting out in the comedy circuit and likens it to a game of Snakes And Ladders. He said: "The better your gigs go, the better your odds of being booked for more, over the dozens of other comedians vying for the same opportunity. Slither down a snake and you've undone the work of the last ten ladders." Despite finding fame early on in his career, Mark says he was left crushed as book deals, gig bookings and promises of film opportunities failed to materialise.

Suicide/Depression: *If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch

Lucretia Munro