We are delighted to hear that Dawn French will be back for a Vicar of Dibley special, so wanted to take a look back at one of the happiest days of her life!
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The comedienne tied the knot with Mark Bignell after a year of dating, and the pair have been happily married ever since. The couple swapped vows during an intimate ceremony held in the pretty coastal town of Newquay in Cornwall back in 2013.
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The couple had hired the exclusive Scarlet Hotel to house guests including singer Alison Moyet, filmmaker Richard Curtis and Dawn's comedy partner Jennifer Saunders. Dawn's daughter Billie, her child with ex-husband Lenny Henry, was also present.
Dawn tied the knot with Mark in 2013
An insider told the Daily Mail that the nuptials were a "very classy and understated affair", adding: "The hotel looked stunning. They had rented out the whole place exclusively for the weekend.
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"The wedding was up in the lounge with the white leather seats, looking out over the water. "At about 9.30pm everyone went outside and watched fireworks from the hotel. They were on the beach below, big shells that went up to 400ft high in all different colours." Dawn was married to fellow comedian Lenny Henry, now 54, for 25 years but the couple split in 2010.
Lenny and Dawn split in 2010
She found love again with Mark, who heads up a drug rehabilitation charity founded by Dawn's late mother. The star recently praised Mark's role in the transition period that followed her divorce. "I thought, 'Oh God, what do I do now? Do I have to do dating? How repulsive. I'll have to buy new pants.'
"I did do some dating and it was excruciating and difficult as I'm not an accomplished flirter. Then, bang, I met somebody else. I started to claim my life back. It's a life with him. I know that I will make a good life for myself with all sorts of things as armour. Including stuff my new chap is teaching me that I never knew. Now my life is in Cornwall with him. I hope it is a life together."
Dawn's comedy partner Jennifer attended the private day
According to Closer magazine, she added: "I 100% thought I would be on my own – but that didn’t bother me. I was enjoying having time to myself. I thought it would be sad if I didn’t have a cuddle with somebody again… but I didn’t need to live vicariously through a man and I didn’t need a knight in shining armour, I’m not sentimental like that. And then of course that is when I met him, just a couple of days later."
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