Loose Women star Linda Robson and ex-husband Mark Dunford ended their ‘sexless’ marriage after more than three decades. Now single, she said she isn’t looking for love

Linda Robson called it quits with her husband of three decades late last year – and she’s not held back on the intimate details of why the marriage ended.

The popular Loose Women host, 65, candidly opened up about her lacklustre union with Mark Dunford over the years and in recent times, shared her disappointment over their activity in the bedroom. Linda, who shot to fame on Birds Of A Feather, is now looking for a new place in Islington for just her and her dog after putting the family home on the market.

She previously revealed that she and Mark, the father of her two children, Louis, 32, and Bobbie, 28, “simply grew apart” and that they never had sex, labelling herself ‘celibate’. She confessed earlier this year that after losing her spark with Mark, she couldn’t be bothered to find love again and isn’t interested in all that ‘jiggy jiggy’.

As she returns to screens this morning for James Martin’s Saturday Kitchen, The Mirror takes a look at her former bumpy marriage and Linda’s first love she never quite got over…

Linda on her wedding day with ex-husband Mark ( 
Image:
REX/Shutterstock)

Linda and Mark got to know each other as teens but didn’t start dating until years later. In 2017, she explained: “I used to babysit for Mark – he was a couple of years younger than me… I was 16 and he was 13 and a half, and he was a bit of a pain, to be honest. And we lived in the street next to each other.”

It wasn’t until they were both in the park one day, Linda with her eldest daughter Lauren, 40, that they crossed paths again. The pair dated and tied the knot in 1990.

However in recent times, Linda made it clear things weren’t as they seemed after more than three decades. While appearing as a panellist on ITV talk show Loose Women, she revealed the ups and downs of her marriage, admitting that things between them ‘weren’t plain-sailing’ and that she even considered herself ‘celibate’.

Linda confessed that she and Mark, whom she previously described as her ‘rock’, hadn’t had sex in two years, but that it didn’t bother her. “Can I just say I’ve been celibate for two years?” she began, “I can’t be a**** with all that [romance stuff]. I’m just happy going out with my mates and my children and my grandchildren.”

The couple were left in a ‘rough patch’ after 33 years of marriage ( 
Image:
WireImage)

Before their separation last year, she insisted: “We’re still living together. We both love our kids more than anything else in the world, obviously, you have a few hiccups in every marriage. We’ve been married 33 years so it’s not going to be all plain sailing, but we’re still together at the moment.”

She later revealed their split in an interview with Woman magazine, confirming she was in fact single. She said of her ex-husband: “He’s a really good dad and we had some good years, but enough is enough. I’ve got my family and my kids around me. And I’m going on a cruise with Lesley Joseph in November. I’m keeping busy.”

And in an interview with OK!, she admitted they grew apart, explaining: “People do, sometimes, don’t they? We never had that much in common. I’m very sociable. Mark never enjoyed that side of thing.”

The mum believes they stayed together for more than 30 years for the sake of their children, who are now ‘grown up’ with their own lives. But while she’s officially single again, Linda is not looking for another relationship.

Speaking with OK! she squealed: “I don’t need a man. I’ve got my friends and my family. I’m not interested in dating, I’m too old now. I can’t be bothered with all that ‘jiggy jiggy’.”

Linda had eldest Lauren with her ex Tony Tyler, whom she describes as her ‘first love’. Not much is known about him but the pair were together for 11 years and welcomed their daughter before parting ways.

In 2016, Linda opened up about her heartbreak following her first love cheating on her. Speaking of her regret at how long she let her “serial cheat” ex be unfaithful, she said: “I caught him lots and lots of times, probably my biggest regret is that I didn’t finish it earlier. The strange thing was there was a family do not too long ago, and he actually blamed me for the break-up.”

She revealed how he went on to blame her for always being away for work for his infidelity. However, she furiously said at the time that the excuse was a ‘lie’ anyway, saying she “was always there”. In another segment of Loose Women, where the panel discussed the idea of how quickly they would move on and remarry after splitting up with a long-term partner, Linda was quizzed on her thoughts following her split from the father of her eldest.

“It took me a long time to get over that because that was my first love,” admitted Linda. “But I feel like I don’t really need a partner to love because I’ve got my children, my grandchildren, my sisters and my friends…”

A version of this article was published on February 12.