Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern has opened up about married life with her director husband Simon Curtis, revealing that humour is the key.
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During a recent interview with Woman & Home, the Lady Cora actress detailed the moment she realised that Simon was the one for her.
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Elizabeth recalled: "When I was pregnant with our first baby, the doctor was checking for the baby’s heartbeat and asking if we wanted to know whether it was a boy or girl. My husband said, 'I don’t care what it is. I just want it to have a sense of humour.'
"At that moment, I realised, 'that’s why I’m with this guy.' Humour is a way of processing problems, which makes them easier to bear," she added.
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Elizabeth and Simon married in 1992 and will celebrate their Pearl Anniversary in December this year. The couple share two daughters, Matilda, 28, and Grace, 24.
Elizabeth and Simon have been married since 1992
In the same interview, Elizabeth opened up about missing their two children, who both flew the nest shortly before lockdown in 2020.
"Shortly after they left we had lockdown, so they both moved back in and I couldn’t have been happier," she said. "I would be lying if I said I don’t miss them. I was branching out during their upbringing."
She continued: "As they began school, I started a band and then the challenge and responsibility of writing this play hit me at the perfect time. It’s really distracted me from feeling the loneliness of having them go."
Elizabeth pictured with her daughter Matilda
The actress is currently starring in a new play, AVA: The Secret Conversations, in which she plays Hollywood Golden Age actress Ava Gardner. The play is based on Peter Evans' book, Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations, and was adapted by Elizabeth.
AVA: The Secret Conversations is currently playing at the Riverside Studios and runs until Saturday 16 April 2022.
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