Former Emmerdale star and Loose Women panellist Lisa Riley has admitted that she will never marry her partner, Al, despite the fact that they have been engaged for seven years.
The couple have been together since 2014, and he proposed to her in 2018, but little is known about their relationship as the actress tends to keep her romantic life private.
However, in an interview earlier this year, Lisa revealed that she will never get married to Al despite their engagement, and explained the sad reasoning behind it.
© Getty ImagesSpeaking to The Mirror in March 2025, the I'm A Celebrity star, who made headlines last week after referring to the show's host Ant McPartlin as "juicy", said: "We're already married, but not married. And honestly, I truly couldn't cope with the big day without my mum by my side.
"Why would I want to put myself through that?," Lisa continued. "Al lost his mum not long ago, and he's got no parents. Thank God I've got dad. But you know, we're not kids – if it ain't broke don't fix it. We're 11 years together in June."
Lisa's mother, Cath, passed away in 2012, just two years before the couple got together.
Lisa and Al have an 'understanding' dynamic
In the same interview, Lisa explained why the pair complement one another, saying: "I'm a bit bonkers, he's brilliantly sarcastic, we appreciate each other."
She continued: "He's a musician, we're not in nine-to-five jobs, so we're not always joined at the hip. And it's that understanding. It's his love for my family and my love for his."
Describing herself as, at times, a "closed book," the 49-year-old shared that the secret to their partnership is much simpler than it may appear.
© Getty Images for the NTA's"It's those moments when I'm sitting in the back bedroom with the radio on all by myself, and he just knows I need that space – otherwise I really will shut down," she adds. "He doesn't over-pander to me."
Lisa and Al's engagement
In May 2018, Lisa took to Instagram to reveal that she and Al had got engaged, sharing a post to the social media platform with the caption: "Yes I can now confirm the rumours are true... I have got engaged... my soul mate and best mate and love of my life."
She also revealed her engagement ring, a gorgeous band with a square-cut diamond set into it – a truly beautiful piece.
However, just after the engagement, Lisa had some ideas about what the wedding would look like, suggesting that she has changed her stance in the years since then.
© Getty ImagesSpeaking exclusively to HELLO! in July 2018, she revealed that she wanted her dress to reflect her "kooky" style, and that her nephews Jakey and Josh had key roles, while "looking really funky" too.
She also revealed that she would have been quite secretive about the ceremony, if it had happened. When asked if a date had been set, she replied: "No and I've said that – I don't even know why it's interesting.
"No, we don't have a date whatsoever and I don't think we would tell… we would just sort of, like, disappear," Lisa concluded.
