Celebrity News

Dawn French marries in lavish secret wedding

Dawn French, 55, has reportedly married her new boyfriend in a secret ceremony.
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Dawn French, 55, has reportedly married her new boyfriend in a secret ceremony.

The comedienne is rumoured to have tied the knot with charity boss Mark Bignell, 49, who she has been dating for 13 months.

The “big but very classy and understated” ceremony took place at the Scarlet Hotel, an exclusive eco-friendly hotel on the coast in Cornwall, south west England.

Dawn is believed to have hired out the whole venue for the occasion, which would have cost more than $40,000.

“The hotel looked stunning,” a source told the Daily Mail. “They had rented out the whole place exclusively for the weekend.

“The wedding was up in the lounge with the white leather seats, looking out over the water.

“At about 9.30pm everyone went outside and watched fireworks from the hotel. They were on the beach below, big shells that went up in all different colours.

“Inside in the hotel garden there was a red heart, five foot wide and high, with the letters M and D in white in the heart. They all let off lanterns later. It was quite small — probably about 100 people there — but it was a proper celebrity wedding.”

Guests included Dawn’s comedy partner Jennifer Saunders and screenwriter Richard Curtis and Dawn’s daughter Billie — from her first marriage with comedian Lenny Henry — sang at the event.

Dawn and Lenny separated three years ago after 25 years of marriage.

She started dating Mark in January last year after meeting him when he took over her mother’s charity, drug and alcohol abuse centre Hamoaze House, after she died.

It was love at first sight and shortly after meeting Mark, Dawn gave an interview stating she hoped she would spend the rest of her life with him.

“I did do some dating and it was excruciating and difficult as I’m not an accomplished flirter,” she said.

“Then, bang, I met somebody else. I started to claim my life back. It’s a life with him. I know that I will make a good life for myself with all sorts of things as armour.

“Including stuff my new chap is teaching me that I never knew. Now my life is in Cornwall with him. I hope it is a life together.”

It is Dawn’s second marriage and Mark’s third.

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