BEVERLEY CALLARD & JON MCEWAN

Actress Beverley Callard joins ok! for an exclusive bridal-inspired shoot ahead of renewing her vows with husband jon mcewan

Earlier this year, actress Beverley Callard and her husband Jon Mcewan were excitedly telling OK! about their hopes of renewing their wedding vows after celebrating 10 years of marriage in 2020.

Well, fast forward a few months and the couple’s dream is set to become a reality. The pair are planning to go ahead with a ceremony in Mojácar, Spain, at a friend’s villa, before throwing a party at the beach bar where Jon, 56, first proposed.

Jon, who became known to the nation as “Mega Sh*g” during Beverley’s appearance on I’m A Celebrity last year, suggested they say “I do” all over again when she left the ITV reality show.

“We were going to go back to Spain, just the two of us, back to the beach bar where he proposed to me, and renew our vows in private. But I mentioned it on I’m A Celeb and it snowballed a little bit!” laughs the former Coronation Street star as we catch up following the couple’s exclusive

bridal-inspired shoot for OK! ahead of the celebrations.

Beverley, 64, looks gorgeous as she poses in an intricate lace gown and flared jumpsuit, but she says she’ll be taking an altogether more relaxed approach to the big day. It will be an informal affair, with just close family and friends joining the couple for the ceremony.

Here, Bev talks us through her glamorous shoot and her laid-back plans for the romantic beach party…

Hi Bev! Did you enjoy doing this shoot?

It was amazing. It was at the Mandarin Oriental, and when I went to the ladies, I was shocked that the toilet seat was heated! It was very luxurious. It was just incredible and the clothes were amazing.

So tell us, what did you try on?

Some very glamorous outfits! Maybe even a bit too glamorous for me. They weren’t traditional wedding dresses, but there was certainly a meringue involved. Everyone

liked the first one the best. That was a peach layered net maxi with a black ribbon round the waist. I felt like a princess – a bit of an old one – but a princess!

Did Jon like his outfits?

He tried on all sorts of different things. It went from gorgeous suits to casual trousers with linen shirts, which is what I think he’ll go for.

Which of the dresses you tried on did he like the most?

He liked the powder blue jumpsuit the best. He’s the same as most men in that he thinks the more revealing the better. But that’s not for me at all. It would have been for Liz Mcdonald – but not for Beverley!

What colours are you thinking for the big day?

I’d quite like muted colours. Muted tropical colours, something quite soft. Definitely not white as I don’t want to look like a geriatric bride!

So how would you describe your style?

I’m very casual. I don’t really wear skirts or dresses. I’m always in jeans, leggings or baggy tracksuit bottoms. I much prefer having no make-up on at all.

‘the dresses are so glamorous – i feel like a princess!’

Will you wear trousers for the vow renewal?

No, I think it might be a floaty beach dress kind of thing. It’s in August, so it will be really hot. So I think the less we wear the better, but I won’t wear anything revealing.

What was your original wedding dress like?

I had two Suzanne Neville dresses. An ivory one for daytime and then a cerise-coloured one for the evening. I still have them, but I’ve not put them back on. If they didn’t fit me I’d be absolutely gutted! They were very corseted and fitted, so this one will be just the opposite.

What’s your favourite memory from your wedding day?

All my dearest friends were bridesmaids. There were 22 of them and they all wore little black dresses in different styles. It was in Hazlewood Castle in Yorkshire. There is a photograph of them all together on the grand staircase and I just thought, “I’ve got the best friends in the whole world.” It was amazing.

What made you want to renew your vows?

Last October, Jon and I had been married for 10 years. We’ve been together for 20-odd years, but we’d been married for 10. Lockdown meant we couldn’t celebrate. Jon actually proposed to me again when I came out of I’m A Celeb. He said he was so proud of me and if we weren’t married he’d ask me to do it all over again, so why not? We were just going to go back to Spain, just the two of us, back to the beach bar where he proposed to me, and renew our vows in private. But I mentioned it on I’m A Celeb and it snowballed a little bit! We’re still going back to that bar, which will be lovely. It’s a wooden beach bar and is still very old-fashioned. It’s Spanish owned, by two brothers, and they know us really well as we’ve been going for years. The food is exceptional. It’s not glamorous at all, it’s just proper traditional Spanish and we love it.

Are you nervous?

I am beginning to get a bit nervous, but I think as it’s much more relaxed we’ll enjoy it and make great memories.

Who’s on the guest list?

It’s going to be small, just 20 of our very close friends and family. It’s not a showbiz thing at all, just the opposite. I’ve told them all it’s not formal, so to wear comfy clothes and just enjoy themselves.

How will the day work?

We’re going to do the vows in a friend’s villa, by the pool with an archway of flowers. We’re having tapas and sangria on arrival, then we’re having a massive Spanish barbecue and a huge paella. And a vegan paella for me – I’m still going strong on the plant-based diet. Then we’re having a little party at the beach bar later on. It’s very laid back, but we’ve booked some flamenco dancers and a Spanish band.

Will you write your own vows?

We’re in the process of writing them but we keep changing them. We don’t know what each other is going to say. They won’t last very long, it will just be brief and intimate. I think some of our friends are going to surprise us with speeches, because some of them have known us for many years. I’ve got four of my school friends coming. I’m dreading what they’re going to do to me!

Are yours and Jon’s kids excited for you?

Yes, they’re really excited. We’re not having a wedding party as such, everyone will just be there together. The kids are so happy – any excuse for a party!

Will you get more rings?

We think we’re going to get each other a personal gift, but we just don’t know what yet.

Are you still planning to move to Kent?

We’re certainly moving south, as soon as we can get it organised. I think it will be Kent but we’re not sure exactly yet. Most of my work is down there now. Our children are all grown up and scattered everywhere, so we don’t have to be tied to one area. I think it will happen within the next six months or so.

Have you managed to do your motorhome trip across Europe?

Not yet. If we’re allowed, we might travel back from the vow renewal in the motorhome. It just depends on travelling through France. We’d really like to go to Lake Como in Italy, too.

How has your hip been following your replacement operation?

It’s over a year since the first op and I still struggle occasionally. I’m still undergoing physiotherapy and hydrotherapy. That’s because it’s not the actual joint, it’s building the muscular strength up after not walking for so many months, but I’m getting there.

Do you still want a facelift?

I can’t wait! I really want it. But again, because of Covid, I’ve not been able to do it yet. But I’m definitely going to. Jon and my children don’t want me to do it, but they support me whatever. It’s just for me, I want to do it. When we’ve actually set a date I’ll be terrified and I’ll think, “Why have I said yes to this?!” But I have made the decision in my head that it’s something I want to do.

‘if we’re apart we speak to each other 50 times a day’

What makes you want to do it?

I think it’s a bit of low self-esteem. People think actors are really confident but to be honest, for most of us it’s the opposite. I hate watching myself, I’ve not watched myself for over 15 years. I don’t look at photographs or anything. Our business is what you look like – everyone is stick thin and nobody’s faces move. So I just feel as though I need to do it.

What makes your relationship with Jon work?

It sounds really mushy and romantic, but we have a love like no other. We fight to talk to each other and listen to each other, and he makes me laugh every single day. He is amazing and he is my world.

Jon has said you’ve had more time together since you left Corrie. Has it made your relationship stronger?

It’s just amazing. If we’re apart from each other now we speak on the phone 50 times a day!