Petula Clark is a household name thanks to her illustrious entertainment career, and is known for her 1960s hits, Downtown and Don't Sleep in the Subway. But how much do you know about her love life? The 92-year-old, who has performed with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire, was married to film producer Claude Wolff for over 60 years until his death in 2024. The couple, who worked together on film and TV projects, first met in the 1950s and were together for three decades before ending their romantic relationship, but remained married.
As Petula releases her candid new memoir, Is That You, Petula?, which covers her rise from being a child star to reaching international fame, as well as her complicated childhood and her family life, keep reading to find out what Petula has said about her marriage and the mystery partner she revealed in 2016.
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockPetula's mystery boyfriend
In 2016, Petula revealed that she fell in love with her partner "a few years" prior, but remained tight-lipped about his identity. "It's a wonderful thing falling in love," she told the Daily Mail. "There's a song I wrote called Happiness – that sweet and fleeting feeling we all need to know is waiting here inside us," continued the singer, adding, "Being in love is that crazy, fantastic, warm feeling."
© Ling/Daily Mail/ShutterstockElaborating on her relationship during an appearance on Loose Women the same year, Petula revealed that she and her partner were friends before things turned romantic. "There is someone and it's very nice and Claude knows about it," said the entertainer. "There's no secret. We became friends first and the romantic side happened later. I think that's pretty good too, because it's not a frantic passion thing. It's good to be friends with your man!"
Petula's relationship with her husband Claude
Petula remained married to her husband Claude until his death in 2024, despite the pair having lived separate lives in the years leading up to his death.
© Sipa/ShutterstockDuring an appearance on Loose Women in 2016, Petula opened up about her arrangement with Claude, who is the father of her three children, Katherine, Barbara and Patrick. "We're still married. Claude is the father of our wonderful children," she explained. "We still live together but he has his own life and I have mine and it somehow works."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Petula said that the pair were still fond of each other. "He's in Geneva and I'll see him when I go back," she said. "It's funny. Life does these things to us. Of course, it's painful to think something that was so wonderful had changed but he has his life and I have mine. We had three wonderful children together and we love each other very much. It's just different now. It's perhaps not perfect but we make the most of it."
