Gemma Whelan is back on our screens in the third season of ITV's hit crime drama, The Tower. The actress, who plays DS Sarah Collins in the police series, is well-known thanks to her TV roles in Game of Thrones, Killing Eve and Gentleman Jack. But did you know that her husband is also a famous face? Read more about her family life below…
Gemma's famous husband
Since 2017, Gemma has been married to comedian and actor Gerry Howell, who viewers may recognise for his appearance on the 2006 Channel 4 reality show, The Play's The Thing.
Back in 2010, Gerry, who now works as a psychotherapist, won the Best Individual Comedy Show Award at the Buxton Fringe Festival for his one-man comedy-drama, The Fantastic Reality of Frederick Goodge.
© @gemwhelan/InstagramOpening up about the early days of their relationship during an interview with The Guardian back in 2020, Gemma recalled her "most embarrassing moment". "On one of my first dates with my husband, we went to the British Museum and I was giddy and nervous," she began. "I leapt into a Japanese tea house, not realising it was an ancient relic. All the alarms went off and I still didn't realise. I was sitting in there thinking, 'Look how kooky I am.' And then a security guard came over."
Gemma and Gerry tied the knot in May 2017 when the actress was five months pregnant. Marking their three-year anniversary on Instagram back in 2020, the Game of Thrones star shared a sweet snap from their big day, alongside the caption: "Three years married today! This is us on our wedding day after a lot of jolly - him more than me as I was five months pregnant - SHOTGUN! And deep love obvs... photo by our magic pal @mariaflorentina1 PS. We also totally forgot it was our anniversary - thanks Facebook."
© @gemwhelan/InstagramGemma's family life with two children
Gemma and Gerry live in London with their two children, Freddie, two, and Frances, six.
Before welcoming their daughter Frances, the couple weren't sure whether they'd ever become parents. In an interview with You Magazine in 2023, Gemma revealed that her father had "begged" her not to have children on his deathbed.
"He said, 'Will you promise me not to have children?' But only because of the state of the world that I would be bringing them into. I mean," recalled the star. "The world he left behind was peachy compared to now.
"Seven years ago, Brexit hadn't been finalised, there was still a bit of hope and decent weather; a relative utopia. But I fully agreed with him," she continued. "Then he passed away and the urge to make my own children was so strong. And just over a year later, Frances arrived."
© VISHAL SHARMAGemma added that she and Gerry had been together "for years" and were quite content. "But you grow up quickly when you lose a parent," she explained. "It's a seismic shift. I wanted to make my own family."
