Jason Manford has reflected on his experience as a single parent following his split from his first wife, Catherine.
The 43-year-old comedian appeared as the latest guest on Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Table Manners podcast, where he spoke about the adjustments he had to make after the breakdown of his first marriage.
Now married to producer Lucy Dyke, Jason candidly shared how he had to ‘learn all these things my ex-wife had done’ while co-parenting their children.
Jason married Catherine in October 2007, and they had four children together before separating.
During the podcast, the group discussed how much time parents spend with their children, noting that by the time a child turns twelve, parents have spent 60% of the total time they will ever spend with them.
Jason Manford has reflected on his experience as a single parent following his split from his first wife, Catherine during an appearance on Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Table Manners podcast on Wednesday
The comedian, who is now married to producer Lucy Dyke, spoke about the adjustments he had to make after the breakdown of his first marriage to Catherine (pictured)
Reflecting on his own experience, Jason said: ‘I found myself for a long time, certainly early on in my, my big children’s childhood where, I watch back at old videos and stuff, where, the way I describe it was, I was there, but I wasn’t present.’
When Jessie asked, ‘When did you switch?’ Jason replied, ‘I think I heard the sixteen summers phrase and just…[makes a vomit noise].’
He continued: ‘I also went through a divorce and I suddenly became, you know, when I had them we had like a 50/50 with the kids there, and suddenly like ‘right what do I?’
‘I’ve just been working all the time and suddenly I had to learn all these new things that my ex-wife had done.
‘I remember having to go to like, I went to the local hairdressers, and was like ‘can you show me how to do girls’ hair?’ because I had not done it.’
Lennie then asked, ‘So you can do a French braid?’ Jason responded, ‘I can do a little ballet bun on occasion.’
Jason is the parent to six children, he shares twin daughters and a daughter and son with Catherine and a girl and boy, with current wife Lucy
In 2012, Jason poignantly acknowledged that his relationship with Catherine ‘disintegrated’ because he didn’t give her enough ‘care and time’.
The comedian admitted their union didn’t get the attention it deserved because he was too focused on work and providing for his children.
He said to the Mirror: ‘My first marriage really disintegrated on my theory of, “I don’t want my children to have the childhood I had”.
‘So I was out working all of the time and I didn’t put the care and time into that relationship that it deserved and needed.’
Jason – who was raised in a council house in relative poverty – continued: ‘It’s only now I’m starting to realise, “Oh, I’m not giving the children the childhood I had”, which is good in one thing but bad in another.
Jason likes to keep his children out of the spotlight (Pictured December 2023)
‘Because I got to spend so much time [with my parents] and we had laughs with my parents.’
Jason is the parent to six children. He shares twin daughters and a daughter and son with Catherine and a girl and boy, with current wife Lucy.
The star tied the knot with Lucy in a ceremony in Manchester in 2017.
Lucy also works in TV as a producer and has worked on Black Mirror, The Split and Ripper Street as well as many more shows.
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