Michael McIntyre's marriage was almost derailed by 'vicious' comment

Comedian Michael McIntyre has opened up about the rocky start to his now 21-year marriage with Kitty Ward. The pair tied the knot in Somerset in 2003, but he revealed that it was nearly derailed by family interference.

The much-loved funnyman was instantly enamoured when he first met Kitty through a mutual friend, confessing: 'She was the girl I had been looking for'. However, his grandmother was less than impressed with his choice.

"Unfortunately my grandma didn't really like it when I got a girlfriend," he shared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. "She was trying to break us up, which was funny for a while but then it became quite vicious, an untenable situation."

Despite being 48 years old now, Michael wasn't deterred by his grandmother's attempts to split them up, as he was completely taken with Kitty, an aromatherapist, from their very first encounter. "In the romantic comedy that was my life, this would have made a good ending," he mused in his autobiography Life and Laughing.

"We would fall happily ever after. Within moments of seeing her and chatting to her, I was totally up for that ending. Unfortunately, she wasn't.", reports the Mirror.

Kitty, however, soon came around. "We might have kissed on our first date," Michael revealed during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show.

"That was it for me. I announced to everybody that I'm in love and I'm going to marry this girl."

The pair tied the knot in Somerset in 2003 and have since welcomed two sons, Lucas and Oscar. While Kitty, who hails from a well-known family, prefers to keep a low profile, she remains an integral part of Michael's life.

Simon Ward, Kitty's father, was a renowned actor known for his roles in films such as 1973's The Three Musketeers and 1972's Young Winston, where he starred alongside acting greats Oliver Reed and Christopher Lee. "He was one of my closest friends," Michael said about his late father-in-law, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 70. He would come to my gigs in the early days."

Kitty's sister, Sophie Ward, is also a well-known film actress, with roles in 1985's Young Sherlock Holmes and 2011's Jane Eyre. In addition to her acting career, Sophie is a successful writer.

Michael's late father was a comedy writer, and today, his family enjoys a luxurious lifestyle thanks to his estimated net worth of £80 million, earned from touring, a Netflix deal, and his BBC career. In 2020, the couple purchased a £10m eight-bedroom mansion in London, equipped with a swimming pool, cinema room, and gym.

Back in 2013, they bought a £2.5m mansion in the picturesque village of Wiltshire. Nestled amidst stunning countryside, the small village of Compton Bassett, near Calne, has reportedly become a popular spot for celebrities. Singer Robbie Williams splashed out £8.5 million on a family home there back in 2009.