Daniel Mays is tackling one of his darkest roles yet in the haunting new ITV true crime drama, Believe Me. The actor is back on screens on Sunday night to portray convicted serial sex offender John Worboys in the four-part drama centred around one of the UK's most prolific criminals.
Daniel has made a name for himself in beloved British dramas like Line of Duty and The Long Shadow, but how much do fans know about his life away from the camera? The 48-year-old has been married to his long-term partner for seven years and is a dad to two young children.
Read on for all you need to know about the star's ultra-private family life and how becoming a father made him a "better person and a better actor".
Long-term marriage
© InstagramDaniel had already been with his partner, makeup artist Louise Burton, for 14 years before they tied the knot in August 2018.
"Lou lost her parents in quick succession and it was a terrible blow for her,” he told The Guardian about deciding to get married. “She was just rudderless. And it seemed right to do the wedding then, step up. We had an amazing day.”
Nearly eight years on, the couple still appear to be going strong. Daniel and Louise have been living in North London for the past decade, where they've raised their two children.
"In a world moving so fast with so much going on, it’s easy to forget the things that are most important in life," Daniel wrote a sweet love letter to his wife on social media in June 2025. "I love and appreciate you so much darlin’."
He has 2 kids
The long-term couple are proud parents to a grown-up son and a teen daughter. They welcomed their first child, a son named Mylo, who is now around 20 years old, in 2005.
When he was younger, Mylo followed in his famous father's footsteps to dabble in acting, appearing in the West End production of Matilda. Daniel once gushed that his son was his "best friend" and had "enriched [his] life".
"Thank you, my boy, for bringing light, love and laughter into our lives and for personally teaching me I’m not the most important person in the room!" he wrote in a sweet birthday tribute for Mylo's milestone 16th birthday in November 2021. "We are beyond proud of everything you have achieved and the man that you have become today," he added.
© Instagram/ @danielmays9The actor is also a girl dad to a teen daughter named Dixie, who turned 13 last October. Daniel gushed in a social media birthday tribute that he was "so proud of the beautiful, thoughtful, caring and hilarious young lady" his daughter had become.
When his wife broke her leg during the pandemic, Daniel became a full-time carer and took on the task of homeschooling Dixie. "That first month was insane,” he recalled to The Guardian. “Lou was in plaster, my son was doing his mock exams in the attic and I was homeschooling my daughter downstairs."
He also scored "massive Daddy brownie points" with his little girl when he took her to see pop superstar Taylor Swift's sold-out Eras Tour in 2024. "We were both so overwhelmed," Daniel captioned a video montage of him and Dixie singing along and having the best time at the concert. "Memories to last a lifetime."
Fatherhood made him a 'better actor'
© Instagram/ @danielmays9Becoming a father made Daniel not only a "better person", but also helped with his acting performance. In an interview with the Big Issue in 2023, Daniel opened up about fatherhood and how it had changed him.
"The first time it happened it was not on the cards, let’s just put it that way. It was a kind of, oh my god moment. I was all at sea with what was going on, because it wasn’t in the game plan at all. Looking back now, it wasn’t a curse in any way," he said.
He continued: "It was an absolute blessing to me, because it forced me to become responsible. It actually made me a better person and a better actor, it galvanised me. Now I know it was the best thing that ever happened to me."
