After six years of marriage, the birth of our daughter, the acquisition of a poorly trained hypoallergenic dog, and the making of a TV show, Bobby & Harriet Get Married , about said union, I realised last year that I had to file for divorce. I never thought that I would be divorced, but it’s become apparent I never really thought about the act of being married. I got married in 2017, and I believed that was it – if you love someone you make it work.
But now, I believe love isn’t enough and it really is worth having a little think about whether you’re going to be compatible long-term. If, after that little think, you don’t believe you’re going to be – RUN. I knew immediately that I would write a show about my divorce.
The universe made it impossible not to laugh. The morning I tearfully took my ring off while staying in a hotel in Bristol, I went downstairs to breakfast, determined for a fresh start and promptly stumbled into a wedding fair happening in the lobby. I find writing jokes cathartic.
I’ve made jokes about my marriage, my anxieties and, most bravely, my chlamydia. Heartbreak can be a lonely experience, but comedy as an art form (not regulated by the Arts Council) is communal. When an audience laughs they are saying, “I understand you.
” I mean sure, they might think you’re a moron and that they’d never make the same terrible choices. But I’ve learnt from previewing my new show, Everything Always Works Out For Me , the pain of a break-up is u.