Vera's Brenda Blethyn has spoken candidly about her unconventional living situation with her husband, Michael Mayhew, and revealed where her partner of 51 years has been living.
The 79-year-old actress and the art director of the National Theatre have been a couple since they met at the theatre in 1975, but only decided to tie the knot years later, in 2010.
While the star of the ITV detective drama has been open about their unique living situation in the past, Brenda recently updated fans on their cohabitation plan. Explaining that she and Michael live separately, the actress revealed where exactly her spouse has set up his home.
After they struggled to agree about the temperature of a flat, the married couple decided the best way to move forward was to rent different flats in the same building.
"My husband and I have taken the flat beneath ours as he's always cold, I'm always hot, and I'd say, 'Oh, I'm going to open a window', and he'd say, 'Oh, no, don't do that, turn the heat on,' so we needed a bigger place," she told Prima Magazine.
Brenda continued: "I'm hearing more and more of couples adopting that way of living permanently, but, for us, it will be readjusted once we find somewhere appropriate. The dog is happy as he's got two different places to go – he prefers to be with me, though."
The couple share a 10-year-old cockapoo, Jack, with one another, and do not have any children. It is believed the separate flats solution may be as a result of Brenda's filming schedule for the last 15 years as the couple navigated a long-distance arrangement while she shot Vera in the North East for six months of every year.
© Getty Images for the NTA'sWhen Brenda met Michael
Before her chance encounter with the art director at the theatre in the mid 70s, Brenda was married to her ex-husband, Alan James Blethyn, from 1964 to 1973.
Almost three decades after initially popping the question, Brenda finally walked down the aisle to Michael in June 2010.
Speaking about why she decided to get married after 35 years, the actress told Times Radio: "We were getting on a bit, and it seemed the sensible thing to do. Neither of us was going anywhere, so it just presents a problem if one of us pops our clogs."
© Helen WilliamsBye-bye Vera
Brenda's revelations about her marriage came after she announced she was stepping away from her beloved TV role, Inspector Vera Stanhope. The actress has starred as the fiery detective in the Northumberland-based series since 2011, only deciding to hang up her hat almost 15 years later.
However, her departure from Vera hasn't resulted in a move towards retirement for the nearly 80-year-old. She has appeared as pensioner, Elsie, opposite Andrea Riseborough in Dragonfly and will feature in two upcoming productions: Emma Harte in Channel 4's A Woman of Substance and an unnamed role in Fools.
