There must be something going round Albert Square as three Eastenders real-life couples have split
She’s is ‘coexisting happily’ with her ex
We all know that Albert Square is a fertile ground for OTT break-ups and make-ups (not to mention affairs, murders and family feuds). But last week, reality became far more dramatic than fiction, after three of Eastenders’ biggest stars revealed they’d split from their long-term loves. First up was Samantha Womack, 47, who shocked fans by revealing that she and her husband Mark had secretly split in 2018, after nine years of marriage. Even more surprising, the star revealed that they are both still living together with their kids in the family house – and are in “no rush” to change proceedings.
“Now feels like the right time to be honest and admit we’re no longer together,” Sam revealed last week in a bombshell interview. “It would be naïve to say that moving on has been easy for us both. It’s not an easy route, but we’ve always been honest with each other about everything.” She added that they were “coexisting happily” in their Bedfordshire home with their kids Benjamin, 19, and Lili Rose, 15.
Sam and fellow actor Mark, who’s currently starring in Emmerdale, first got together on the set of ITV police drama Liverpool 1 in 1998. They were both in relationships and their affair led to the end of their former marriages. Sam was vilified in the press at the time and branded a “homewrecker”, especially after Mark’s ex-wife Mary Therese Mcgoldrick – with whom he has a son, Michael – claimed Sam was a “deeply unhappy woman who validates herself through men”, adding, “[Samantha] just chews them up and spits them out, and I fear my husband will be left with nothing.” However, Sam and Mark settled down and had kids, before marrying in 2009.
Last week, Sam confessed that she and Mark had started discussing separation “about four years ago”, but were still no closer to getting legally divorced. That said, they’ve already started dating other people and have even given each other dating advice.
Sounds like she’s been living in an Eastenders storyline.