How Lenny Henry and Dawn French – once comedy’s power couple – have remained friendly after split, as he admits his ex-wife is part of the reason he quit Comic Relief
When Lenny Henry announced he would be stepping down from Comic Relief this year – after 39 years leading the telethon charity – he admitted it was partly because the comic group he started with was no longer by his side.
The comedian, 65, has headlined the Red Nose Day specials since it was founded as a charity in 1985, but confirmed this month’s show will be his last.
Sir Lenny Henry told it Radio times he “missed the gang” of fellow comics who co-hosted with him in the 1980s, including his ex-wife Dawn French, 66, Jennifer Saunders, Billy Connolly and the late Victoria Wood.
Sir Lenny was married to French for 25 years and the couple share a daughter, Billie, but went their separate ways in 2010.
Here, FEMAIL explores how the couple became a comedic powerhouse after their 1984 wedding, managing what many couples in the public eye struggle with: remaining friendly and often appearing at the same events, post-divorce…
Comedy’s power couple: Lenny Henry married Dawn French in 1984 at a party Lenny said was held at a “posh chi-chi hall”
Lenny hosted Comic Relief with Dawn throughout the 1980s. The pair are photographed together at the Comic Relief press launch in 2005
The ex-couple first met on the comedy circuit and both rose to fame on the TV series The Comic Strip in the early 1980s.
It was Dawn who convinced Lenny to switch to alternative comedy, where he quickly made his mark as a stand-up artist.
After endless hours of joking and comedy, the pair ignited an intoxicating love that could lead to jealousy in most relationships.
As an IT couple from the early ’80s, the couple decided it was time to make it official and tie the knot in London’s Covent Garden in 1984.
As fans from across the country watched in awe at their beautiful celebration, Lenny called the event a “chic chi-chi hall.”
After the glamorous wedding, the couple decided in the early ’90s that their duo act would be upgraded to a family trio. After years of trying to conceive, they adopted their daughter Billie, 33, when she was just two weeks old.
Dawn told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘I was sad for a while. I did have a miscarriage, so I was sad about that too.
The couple adopted their daughter Billie when she was two weeks old. Billie is pictured with Lenny and Dawn in 2005
The couple decided to adopt Billie after struggling to conceive. Lenny and Dawn are pictured in 2009
“But from the moment Billie arrived, I was done. She fulfills everything I needed to be a mother.”
The Vicar Dibley star said it was the ‘greatest achievement’ of her life.
However, after more than twenty years together, their marriage was over. In 2010, Dawn and Lenny divorced due to his “unreasonable behavior.”
There were rumors that Lenny cheated on Dawn in 1999, a claim he denied. The move shocked the nation and the couple hasn’t provided much insight into why their seemingly happy life ended in divorce.
A statement released on behalf of the couple at the time said: ‘The separation is completely amicable and they fully intend to maintain their close friendship. Their priority is to commit themselves to the future joint education of their daughter.’
The couple began dating, leading to their eventual divorce in 2010. The couple was photographed at their Berkshire home a year earlier, in 2009.
Lenny became embroiled in a cheating rumor in 1999, a claim he has consistently denied. The couple is seen in 2010
For six years, the subject of their breakup was taboo… until 2016, when Lenny hinted that the couple thought about divorce for a while before it happened.
In an interview with the Emphatiche said: ‘There is generally a situation where one partner wants the marriage to end more than the other.
“I think maybe one of us did that, then the other, and then the other for a period of time, and then we finally thought, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll both do that.’ We knew it was not possible to continue,” he added.
Dawn did not comment publicly on the divorce at the time, but her unofficial biographer, Alison Boyer, said the comedy duo “outgrew” their marriage before their divorce.
There was heavy speculation about the demise of their love in the later years of their marriage and subtle signs seemed to indicate that the couple were beginning to fall out of love.
In 2009, Lenny took the stage in London to accept a prestigious theater award for his critically acclaimed performance in Shakespeare’s Othello.
As usual, the couple put on a bravura performance of togetherness as Henry towered over his tiny wife and beamed down at her.
Lenny co-founded the charity with Richard Curtis and has fronted the Red Nose Day specials since it was founded as a charity in 1985. Lenny is pictured in 1989.
The clue to the reality behind the facade they tried so hard to maintain was that Dawn’s usual megawatt smile was muted as she posed for photos with her hand rather awkwardly on her husband’s shoulder.
At that point, they had been secretly separated for six months. In fact, even as their silver wedding anniversary came and went, they were busy working out the details of their divorce.
Many speculated that the couple could simply never get over Henry’s alleged argument with a young blonde woman in a hotel room 11 years earlier, which he has always denied.
The couple waited until Billie turned 18 to announce their separation and the pair continued to live together under the same roof in their then £2.4 million waterfront home on the Cornish coast.
In 2012, Lenny started dating Lisa Makin (pictured with Lenny this month). Despite being together for over a decade, the couple has yet to tie the knot
After the divorce, the couple has always been able to maintain a friendly relationship in front of the cameras.
Dawn told The Mirror after their split: ‘Remarkably, we seem to have moved from a 25-year marriage to an enduring friendship with relative ease. I’m amazed at us – there’s no war, we’ve turned out to be the best of friends. There were many good years, but last year was difficult.’
In 2012, Lenny started dating theater mogul Lisa Makin. Despite a long-term relationship, the couple has resisted walking down the aisle.
Dawn said she managed to transition from a romantic relationship to friendship with her ex-husband “relatively easily.” She is pictured in 2023
And this year, their displays of warmth towards each other have continued following Lenny’s decision to leave Comic Relief.
The comedian, who founded the charity with Richard Curtis in 1985, told the Radio Times: ‘We were like a little gang. But for a few years now I’ve had the feeling: ‘Where is the new gang?’.
‘[Comic Relief] is a baton that needs to be passed to a new group of people who will take on Comic Relief.
Lenny then tipped his replacement after praising David Tennant, who presented the show in 2019 due to theater commitments.
Saying, ‘I thought, well, actually, [David was] brilliant. And I think there are other people, newer people, coming up, like Romesh Ranganathan, Alesha Dixon, AJ Odudu.
‘New people are now joining us who can absolutely take matters into their own hands.’
However, Sir Lenny did admit that although he would not appear on screen on the big night, he would continue to work behind the scenes for the charity as Life President.