Coma star Claire Skinner's life away from cameras: from romance with co-star to actor son

Claire Skinner is back on our screens in Channel 5's gripping new drama Coma, which stars Jason Watkins as Simon Henderson, an ordinary family man whose life starts to spiral out of control after he makes a heat-of-the-moment decision during a confrontation with the leader of a local teenage gang.

While Claire stars as Simon's wife Beth in the series, viewers will know her best for playing Sue Brockman in the BBC sitcom Outnumbered. The actress has also appeared in various other major shows, including McDonald & Dodds, Doctor Who, and Ted Lasso – but what about her life away from the cameras? Keep reading for all we know about Claire's home life, including her split from her TV director husband and her new romance with Outnumbered co-star Hugh Dennis.

Claire's home life away from the cameras

When she's not busy filming her next TV project, Claire, 59, can be found at home in London, where she reportedly lives in a £1.2million London penthouse with her partner and Outnumbered co-star Hugh Dennis.

In her spare time, Claire likes to go running and also loves yoga, according to a 2019 interview with The Times.

Before her romance with Hugh, Claire was married to TV director Charles Palmer, known for his work on Doctor Who, Poldark, and Agatha Christie's Marple. The former couple tied the knot in 2001 and welcomed two sons: William John and Thomas Henry, born in 1999 and 2002 respectively. The pair went their separate ways 15 years later in 2016.

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Claire's eldest son William is also an actor and is known professionally as Bill Skinner. Based in London, Bill has appeared in various major shows such as Endeavour, and The Cleaner, and also appeared alongside his mum in Ted Lasso and McDonald & Dodds. 

Claire's romance with Outnumbered co-star

In 2018, Claire's Outnumbered co-star Hugh Dennis, 62, confirmed their relationship. He told the Mail on Sunday at the time: "I am very, very happy, we are so very happy."

The actor later revealed during a 2019 interview on BBC Radio 5 Live that the pair got together after filming wrapped on the 2016 Christmas special.

"That happened I suppose about a year and a half ago. We did an Outnumbered Christmas special about three years ago and then met up again about a year and a half ago," said Hugh, who portrayed Claire's on-screen husband Pete in the comedy. The pair starred alongside Tyger Drew-Honey, Ramona Marquez, and Daniel Roche, who played their children.

Claire also opened up about their romance during a 2019 interview with The Times, revealing that the couple were together for a while before the news was announced.

"Nobody really noticed when Hugh Dennis and I first got into a relationship," explained the actress. "The news didn't come out until a year later, which was great. People said to us that someone will notice soon but I kept telling them, 'We're both over 50. Why would anyone be interested in that?' We've got families we wanted to protect, but everybody's pretty cool and happy with it."

She later addressed the romance during an interview on ITV's Lorraine. "It's a lovely little life surprise, isn't it? It's a lovely thing," she said.

Coma continues on Tuesday 19 March on Channel 5 at 9pm. The remaining three episodes air over consecutive nights this week.