Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont have announced they are divorcing after nine years of marriage.
The couple – who share seven-year-old daughter Elsie Louise – shared the news in a joint statement on Friday, just days after the launch of the fifth series of their comedy show Meet The Richardsons.
The ‘at home mockumentary’ show about their relationship first aired in 2020, with the couple crediting it for ‘helping their relationship off-screen’.
Jon and Lucy started dating in 2013 after meeting fellow comedian Roisin Conaty, before tying the knot in April 2015 and welcoming their daughter in September the following year.
Recalling their first meeting in her book, Drinking Custard: Diary of a Confused Mum, Lucy said they hit it off straight away.
Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont have announced they are divorcing after nine years of marriage
The couple – who share daughter Elsie Louise, 7, – shared the news in a joint statement on Friday, just days after the launch of the fifth series of their comedy show Meet The Richardsons.
She explained how she had just moved to London to pursue a career in comedy when Roisin invited her to perform at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston-upon-Thames.
‘I felt the presence of someone behind me. I almost fainted; Honestly, my heart was pounding because I was sure Jon knew I liked him,” she wrote.
Speaking in an interview with The Sunday timesLucy added, “It was Very symbolic, because since then we have been fighting like cocks.’
Two weeks after their first meeting at the gig, the duo had their first date and wrote in her memoirs, she revealed “Something very strange has happened.”
“Jon dropped me off in his car to the train station and we exchanged phone numbers,” the comedian wrote. ‘And lo and behold, ‘MY WIFE’ flashed on his dashboard in large LED letters via Bluetooth. I’ve never gotten out of a car so fast.
‘I called my friend Jackie and she told me very calmly that he must be a psychopath and that he should leave London immediately and come back to live with her in Hull again.’
The pair have starred in the at home mockumentary show about their relationship, Meet The Richardsons, since it first aired in 2020. The fifth series started this week on Dave on April 8.
The ‘at home mockumentary’ show about their relationship first aired in 2020, with the couple credited for ‘helping their relationship off-screen’
Jon and Lucy started dating in 2013 after meeting fellow comedian Roisin Conaty (pictured), before tying the knot in April 2015.
Two weeks after their first meeting at the gig, the duo had their first date and she wrote in her memoir that “something very strange had happened.”
In the show they play ‘exaggerated versions of themselves’ and make comedic jokes about each other.
In the programme, Lucy was nominated for a BAFTA TV Prize in Female Performance in the Comedy Programs Category in 2023.
On Friday, the comedy couple announced they are divorcing after nine years of marriage – just days after the launch of the fifth series.
Jon and Lucy insisted the split had been ‘amicable’ as they detailed their priority of putting their child first.
A statement to the PA news agency said: ‘After nine years of marriage we would like to announce that we have separated.
“We have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go our separate ways.
“As our sole priority is managing this difficult transition for our daughter, we ask that our privacy be respected at this sensitive time to protect her well-being. We will make no further comment.”
Last year, Lucy admitted that viewers often don’t understand that their fights aren’t real, saying: ‘It was great, but I see comments on social media and people don’t seem to realize it’s not real…
‘I’m not impressed – we wouldn’t have lasted this long if I’d been so mean to him in real life. You don’t want to see a smug couple in love, in a nice house, with a stable career and a sweet little child. Who wants to see that?…
‘If we were like that, I wouldn’t do it. We show the other side, where we are constantly towards each other. It’s a truer picture…
“The world around us is somewhat bizarre, but I think people still feel like they can identify with it, and that’s good.”
Lucy spoke about working with her husband last January, saying: ‘We love working together and enjoying Meet The Richardsons and we really wanted to create something that people can relate to…
‘Meet The Richardsons is basically an excuse for us to channel tensions into comedy and you see in the studio someone starts saying something thinking they’re going to get punched, but as soon as we and the audience start laughing at them, they realize it’s all nonsense.’
Lucy told me too OK! last month that the latest series of Meet the Richardsons, which started this week, could be the last, saying: ‘This will probably be the last, and we’re going out on a high.’
Speaking about what they learned filming Jon & Lucy’s Odd Couples, Lucy continued: ‘We learned that all couples argue with each other and have constant tension about something. Everyone is the same.’
Jon continued, “It’s not about whether you have problems or not, it’s about how you deal with the problems. There is no perfect couple.
“Michael and Hilary Whitehall were absolutely cruel to each other and it is now the lexicon of their marriage.”
Last year it was confirmed that Meet The Richardsons would be renewed for its upcoming fifth season, following its win for Best Comedy at the 2022 Broadcast Digital Awards.
Lucy told The Sun at the time: ‘Yes, we have another series commissioned…’
‘The idea for the next series is that we want to make a sitcom and make it a bit like Heartbeat with jokes, but because Jon wants to retire soon he wants to win an award. So he wants the sitcom to be more surreal and abstract…
“So each of us is going to come up with ideas for our own sitcom, then we’ll take them to a focus group and we’ll have to get back together.”
Last year Lucy admitted that viewers often don’t understand that their fights aren’t real, saying: ‘It was great but I see comments on social media and people don’t seem to realize it’s not real’
In a statement to the PA news agency, the couple said: ‘After nine years of marriage we would like to announce that we have separated. We have made the difficult decision jointly and amicably.”
The fourth series to air saw the couple move and featured guest stars including Ben Elton and Adrian Chiles.
Last month it was revealed that the new series will feature a host of familiar faces, including Ben Shephard, Kimberly Wyatt, Lee Mack, Alexander Armstrong, Gregg Wallace, Stephen Mangan, Amanda Abbington, Dick & Dom, Adrian Chiles, Nigel Havers, Cheryl Baker and The Cheeky Girls.
The fifth season was confirmed before the fourth series even aired.
According to Dave: ‘In this series, Lucy’s career is boosted by her BAFTA nomination and she is offered shows from the huge to the downright bizarre.
‘Jon is fine with Lucy’s success, he’s not competitive at all and he knows when he’s being beaten.
‘So while Lucy is busy with Taskmaster, Bake Off and Celebrity Chinese Whispers, Jon plots his escape from television, with a final, lucrative job as host of a new daytime quiz show.
‘Meanwhile, a global superstar and her partner move in next door at home, making it harder than ever to keep up with the neighbours.
‘Lucy is turning 40 and she would love Jon to go to Glastonbury with her to celebrate. He will never agree to that. But will they both agree that five series of Meet The Richardsons is more than enough?’
The show first launched on the channel in 2020 and the couple co-wrote it with Peter Kay’s Car Share writer Tim Reid.
The couple received widespread praise when they appeared together on Celebrity Gogglebox.
In addition to her work with her husband, Lucy has appeared on a number of panel shows including Would I Lie To You?, The Last Leg and Have I Got News For You.
Jon is now known for his appearances on panel shows and his work as team captain on 8 Out Of 10 Cats.
In 2018 he launched the panel show Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier, which ran for two series on Dave, and he has previously been a guest on BBC Radio 6 Music.
