Mary Berry is a certified national treasure. Her face is instantly recognisable and her culinary influence vast, but it's not often you hear about her partner in crime, Paul Hunnings.
The couple married in 1966 after he proposed three times and Paul has been a constant source of support throughout her esteemed career. He and Mary have welcomed three children together – Thomas, Annabel and William – the latter of whom sadly passed away in 1989.
Here, we take a look at Mary and Paul's love story over the past 58 years...
Paul's career
Now retired, Paul previously worked for a sherry brand, Harvey's of Bristol, and sold antique books throughout his career.
© Nick Harvey/ShutterstockMarriage
Mary has previously spoken about how she only accepted Paul's third offer of marriage. Back in 2017 for a special edition of her BBC show Mary Berry Everyday, the couple appeared together to talk about their 50 years of marriage together and Mary revealed all. "I do remember the first proposal and I think you were drunk," Mary quipped to her husband.
"Well I might have been," he said. "It's a big step. You don't go into something like that without a bit of fortification." Mary continued: "I think you had too much and I can remember telling you you were drunk and thinking 'I'm not going to have anything to do with this man'. But you came back".
Eventually, Mary accepted Paul's third request after he told her: "I'm getting on in age, so either it's yes or no.'"
The couple got married at Charlcombe Church near her parents' home in Bath, where Mary was born. Mary revealed on the show that she actually wore a dress that cost her just five pounds! She also made her own cake, of course.
Children
During their relationship, Mary and Paul have welcomed three children: sons Thomas (b. 1968) and William (b. 1969) and daughter Annabel (b. 1972). Thomas has become a tree surgeon and is based in Oxfordshire, while Annabel followed in her mum's footsteps and became a cook. The pair even went into business together and sold a selection of salad dressings, chutneys and sauces.
© WPA PoolSadly, Mary lost her son William when he died in a car accident. Speaking in a BBC documentary about her life, Mary emotionally shared: "It was a glorious January day and it was sort of 1 o'clock and he wasn't home. The doorbell rang and there was a policeman there, and immediately then I knew why. And he said, 'There's been an accident and I'm sorry to say your son is dead'."
Speaking about seeing his body, Mary added: "He just looked so beautiful and so lovely, his little cold face and it was nice to say farewell."
Mary and Paul are proud grandparents to five grandchildren, and their granddaughter, Abby is currently studying a plant-based food course at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. "She sends me pictures of things she’s made, saying, 'Granny, do you think this is good?'" Mary told Mail Online.
Mary's marriage wisdom
With Mary and Paul having had a successful marriage for decades, the TV star is quite the expert on a happy relationship. On negotiating with her husband, she revealed to the Daily Mail that it all comes down to food (obviously): "When I want to ask my husband Paul something a bit tricky, such as accompanying me to a grand event when he's not so keen, I always wait until after a particularly tasty meal."
