Lee Evans has led a reclusive life since retiring from touring. On Wednesday, the comedian made his first public appearance in five years with his wife Heather Nudds.
The comedian, once a fixture on British television and the stand-up scene, gave up his regular shows in 2014 to spend more time with his family.
Thanks to amassing a huge net worth of £6million, Lee, 59, has been able to retire in luxury and now lives in Billericay, Essex, where he runs a property business and his production company.
Lee has been seen rarely in recent years, with only a handful of public appearances since his last tour ended.
As Lee briefly returns to the public eye, Web takes a look at his life away from the spotlight.
Lives in Essex
Lee Evans’ quiet life away from the spotlight: After the comedian resurfaced for the first time in two years (pictured) – a glimpse into his life since he retired from touring in 2014
Before: The comedian quit touring in 2014 to spend more time with his wife
Lee lives in Billericay, Essex, in an area of the city known for its notable residents, with his wife Heather, to whom he has been married for 39 years.
A local resident previously told Essex Live: “The area is famous for its high property prices and quality of homes and I’m sure there are a lot of famous faces down there.”
Since then, Lee and Heather have focused on their real estate business, which started in 2012 but went into liquidation in 2021, according to Companies House.
Lee and Heather have one daughter, Mollie, who became an illustrator and online content creator after graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design.
The couple married on September 22, 1984, and Lee frequently mentioned his wife during his stand-up shows
He previously revealed he had met her by chance on a bus when they were teenagers, telling the Guardian: “Her mother was dying and I saw her walking by on her way to the hospital.”
“And I was talking to a buddy on the street and I was like, ‘Who is that?’ And he was like, ‘I don’t know.’ She looked distraught. “And about two weeks later I bumped into her while I was watching this band play — and we hit it off really well.” “I made her laugh, I think.”
A huge fortune
Making money: Over the course of his decades of touring, Lee has made a handsome fortune and according to The Richest, Lee has a net worth of around £6.1million
Over the course of his decades of touring, Lee has made a handsome fortune and according to The Richest, Lee has a net worth of around £6.1million.
His production company, Little Mo Films Ltd, also has a sizable net worth of £229,000, according to documents filed by Companies House in April 2023.
The company has been involved with all of Lee’s tour stand-up DVDs, including the latest 2014’s Monsters.
Little Mo Films also produced the 2008 short film The Tonto Woman, starring Charlotte Asprey and Richard Quinn.
In 2011, Lee’s record-breaking 67-date UK Roadrunner tour sold 911,000 DVDs and 733,000 tickets, earning him a staggering profit of £12.9million.
In addition to stand-up comedy, Evans made a brief foray into mainstream acting, with prominent roles in the comedy There’s Something About Mary (1998), in which he starred opposite Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz, and in Science -Fiction epic The Fifth Element (1995) starring Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman.
Rare appearances
I don’t mind: Since retiring, Lee has been spotted a few times, including appearing during a bike ride in Essex in 2021
Since his retirement, Lee has been spotted a number of times, including attending the 2017 Liverpool premiere of Kenny.
He also came out of retirement briefly to star in a charity production of Harold Pinter’s Wither Would You Go with Jack Whitehall that same year. It remains his last appearance on stage.
In 2021, Lee was spotted for the first time in almost a year as he set out for a bike ride in Essex.
The star looked content and relaxed as he worked out on his bike, adding a blue beanie, black trainers and sunglasses to his sporty look.
Step out of the limelight
Time out: Lee confirmed his retirement from stand-up comedy during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2014 after the death of his manager “put things into perspective”.
Lee confirmed his retirement from stand-up comedy during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2014.
On the show, he told Jonathan that the death of his manager Addison Cresswell “put things in perspective”.
He said: “I don’t know, I’ve gotten to a point in my life where – forgive me, it sounds very narcissistic – I’ve done musicals, plays and films and I’ve stood up, and you kind of get to a point .” Where are you going? “I don’t know what to do next.”
He added: “I want to visit my wife, she deserved my time, I’ve done solid work.”
Ross asked how much longer he wanted to keep the job, to which he replied, “I’m done.” That’s it… Done. This is the end. I’m not doing anything.’
Lee continued, “All I ever did was work and Addison would always put his arm around me and say, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. It’s okay.”
“My dad used to say to me, ‘You have to work,’ so I kept working and doing comedy tours all the time.
“I think I’ve ignored my wife for far too long and want to spend a lot more time with her.”
family tragedy
Tragedy: Lee’s retirement in 2019 was marked by tragedy when his father died after a long career in comedy
Lee’s father Dave tragically passed away in 2019 following his own long career in comedy.
He was reportedly unable to perform for seven years due to health issues, and his death has left his peers in the comedy scene in despair.
Dave Evans started performing in nightclubs before performing on cruise ships like the QE2.
In addition to mainstream stand-up and music performances, Dave has also made appearances by famous artists such as Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Max Bygraves and Tom Jones.
In the mid-1980s he appeared on the ITV impressions program Copy Cats and in 1984 he was a guest on prime time show Knees Up, presented by Jeff Stevenson.
His last stage appearance is believed to have been in a performance of Max Bygraves’ Re~Educating Archie in October 2012 at the Underground Theater in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Dave Evans continued to perform on cruise ships, clubs and summer camps until he began to suffer from health problems.
Before his son became an artist himself, Lee was introduced to show business traveling with his father and performing at blue-collar clubs around the country.
The Life and Career of Lee Evans
1964: Lee is born in Bristol to Irish mother Shirley and Welsh father Dave
1975: The family moves to Essex
Late 1970s: Lee moves to Yorkshire and becomes the drummer for the punk rock band The Forgotten Five
1981: Lee meets Heather at a fairground in Billericay
1983: The couple ties the knot
1990s: Lee rises to fame for his high-energy performances.
1993: He won the Perrier Comedy Award for his work at the Edinburgh Festival
1995: Lee makes his acting debut in Funny Bones and two years later stars in The Fifth Element and Mouse Hunt.
2004: He makes his stage debut in Endgame and The Producers
2005: Lee broke the world record for a solo performance in front of the largest comedy audience – 10,108 people at the Manchester Arena
2008: During his major tour, he performed in front of over 500,000 people on 59 dates. The tour’s DVD sold 1 million copies
2011: His record-breaking 67-date UK Roadrunner tour sold 911,000 DVDs and 733,000 tickets. The tour will bring in £12.9million
2014: Lee announces his retirement