Outnumbered stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner are said to have secretly married after appearing in the BBC sitcom together, with the pair reportedly dating since 2018

Outnumbered stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner are said to have secretly tied the knot – according to insiders.

The pair, who played Sue and Pete Brockman in the hit BBC comedy, allegedly took their off-screen relationship to the next level. After dating following the show’s wrap in 2016, they kept their romance private. However, it was later confirmed two years later that the couple had been seeing each other.

Hugh, 63, has been married twice before. His first marriage was to Miranda Carroll in 1987, but they divorced in 1993. His second marriage was to Kate Abbot-Anderson in 1996, but the couple split in 2015, though they share a son and daughter. Meanwhile, Claire’s ex-husband is Charles Palmer, with whom she has two sons. They separated in 2016 after 15 years of marriage.

While neither Hugh nor Claire has confirmed the wedding, eagle-eyed fans may have noticed Hugh sporting a wedding band on his left hand during his appearance on ITV’s Lorraine last month. Meanwhile, Claire was seen proudly wearing her engagement and wedding rings while promoting the upcoming Outnumbered Christmas special in December.

The duo plays cherished characters on the beloved BBC comedy.

It is understood that Hugh and Claire – who live in a £1.5 million London townhouse – walked down the aisle in the summer of 2022. A source close to the couple told The Daily Mail: “This is a real TV love story. They delighted fans when they fell in love outside of the show, having managed to keep it quiet.

“They are a low-key couple who wanted to keep this special for them. Only their family and close friends have known.”

It comes as the family sitcom returned to the BBC for the first time in eight years, with patriarch Pete revealing he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The hit series about the Brockman family ran from 2007 to 2014 on BBC One and returned to the screens in 2016 for a Christmas special.

The latest festive episode opened with Pete and Sue preparing to welcome their three children to the new family home for Christmas before he revealed he will be undergoing a prostatectomy – a surgery which removes the prostate gland. While some viewers were delighted by the special, others quickly branded it a “disappointment.”

“Expecting an all-timer for #Outnumbered but there’s a new house and a random cancer storyline and not one funny moment,” one wrote on Twitter, known formally as X. “My family watching the #Outnumbered special after my Dad (who had prostate cancer) died last year. seriously wtf was that we’re all sad now,” another added. However, a third person jumped at the defense of the show, saying: “How people can watch that #Outnumbered special and think it’s bad?! Karen’s f****** Gay and a protestor. The queen has risen.”