Linda Robson has confirmed her split from husband Mark Dunford after 33 years of marriage.
The Loose Women panellist, 65, confirmed the news to Woman magazine this week, saying: “He’s a really good dad and we’ve had a good few years but enough is enough.”
“I have my family and my children around me.” And in November I’m going on a cruise with Lesley Joseph. I’m busy. I feel good. I go on trips all the time.
‘I’m not interested [in dating] Honest. I can’t handle all of this.’
Linda and Mark, 63, share children Louis, 31, and Roberta, 27. Linda also has a daughter Lauren, 40, with her ex Tony Tyler.
“Enough is enough”: Linda Robson has confirmed her split from husband Mark Dunford after 33 years of marriage. The couple shares two children (pictured in 2015)
Linda and Mark – who married in 1990 – live together in London but it was recently claimed they were having relationship difficulties.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Linda has been quite open behind the scenes about the problems in her marriage.”
“They went through a difficult period before Christmas but they managed to get through it.”
“Linda reached out to her family and close friends who have supported her through it all.”
While Linda denied that she was in the midst of a “marriage crisis,” she admitted that things weren’t going smoothly with her longtime love.
When asked by The Sun about the crisis, she replied: “It’s a load of nonsense.”
“We still live together.” We both love our children more than anything in the world, obviously there are some problems in every marriage.
“We’ve been married for 33 years, so things won’t be smooth sailing, but for now we’re still together.”
The actress recently spoke about the “ups and downs” in her relationship.
She told Best magazine: “There have been ups and downs, of course, like any couple. What I think we have in common is that we love our children more than anything.”
In June, the mother-of-three admitted she hadn’t had sex with Mark for two years while the Loose Women panel discussed whether taking a “sex break” can help difficult relationships.
Linda joined the conversation and said, “Can I just say that I’ve been celibate for two years?” Denise Welch replied, “I know, but you have to get along with the program.”
Linda made a very cheeky confession, quipping, “I know, you got me a girlfriend,” as her fellow panelists burst into laughter.
When Charlene White asked if celibacy helped her focus and give her clarity, she replied: “Well, I didn’t have a choice, I haven’t had it for two years!”
Linda said of her breakup: I’m fine. I go on trips all the time. ‘I’m not interested [in dating] Honest. I can’t cope with all this’
Wedding Anniversary: Linda married Mark Dunford in 1990, but it was reported that their marriage went through a difficult period before Christmas, which they tried to overcome
Last year, Linda revealed she had never taken off her clothes in front of her husband and went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas.
The TV presenter opened up about her personal life in an October 2022 episode of Loose Women, admitting that her Catholic upbringing influenced her views on nudity.
Linda said: “I find it quite difficult, I’ve never undressed in front of my husband, so when I put on my pajamas I go to the toilet.”
“My children saw me undressed, but not my husband or my former partners because my mother was Irish Catholic.”
In 2017, Linda revealed that she and Mark were going through a difficult period where they were on the verge of divorce.
She explained: “I love him. “We had a few tough years where we could have easily called it quits, but we didn’t.”
She revealed that their problems began when children Lauren and Louis experienced traumatic events that tested Linda and Mark’s marriage.
Things were put to the test when Lauren was diagnosed with bulimia and Louis was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing his friend’s murder.
“People always said [Lauren] “Looked like Kate Moss,” she said, beginning by talking about her daughter’s ordeal. “We went to the agency and they took loads of photos, but someone said to her: ‘You need to lose some weight.’
“I replied, “No, she doesn’t,” and we walked out. It was ridiculous.’
After this incident, Linda noticed that Lauren was losing weight, becoming dramatically thin, but still eating normally in front of her eyes.
She concluded it was due to bulimia and vomiting the food she ate and took her to seek help.
Lauren beat the disease after two years, when she was 19; But more heartache struck in 2008 when Ben Kinsella was stabbed to death.
Ben was a friend of Linda’s son Louis and was killed aged 16 when he was stabbed eleven times while celebrating the end of her GCSEs.
Louis saw Ben die on the streets, which led to post-traumatic stress disorder and frequent severe panic attacks.
“Louis is doing really well now. “He’s really interested in his music and his writing,” Linda said of her oldest son, who has come out the other side 10 years later.
Linda’s marriage was also tested when she lost her father to lung cancer in 1997.
He was still a young man [57] and died a week after diagnosis.
Her mother died in 2012, also of cancer, this time of the stomach, at the age of 75. Linda admits it was traumatic but she died peacefully and painlessly.
Before marrying Mark, Linda dated Tony Tyler for 11 years and they had daughter Lauren in 1983.
However, their relationship was plagued with problems, and she told the Loose Women audience in 2017: “I caught my ex cheating on me several times – even when I was pregnant with Lauren.”
“One time I was away and Lauren was away with me. When I returned, everything seemed fine in the apartment. But when I went to bed that night, I moved the pillow and there was a handkerchief with lipstick and long blonde hair on it.”
Family: Linda and Mark share children Louis, 31, and Roberta, 27. (Pictured: Linda with her daughters in 2011)
Linda said: “I remember saying to my ex: ‘What is that?’ and he said: ‘One of my friends stayed and her partner, it must be hers.’ But you know it when you see it white?’
She explained how she did her own detective work as she became determined to find out what was going on.
Linda said: “When I found out I was relieved because you know you won’t go crazy when it’s over.”
The star continued: “I had found letters and followed him. “I also caught him with someone when I was pregnant with Lauren. I was waiting outside the house and he went into this girl’s house.’