TV presenter Anthea Turner has revealed the heartbreaking reason she and her partner, businessman Mark Armstrong, have still never tied the knot.
Former Blue Peter star Anthea got engaged to Mark after he proposed to her during a romantic trip to Italy in 2019, where the long-term couple were expected to wed in September 2020.
However, during an appearance on Vanessa Feltz’s Channel 5 daytime show today (April 1), Anthea revealed the sad reason her wedding has been postponed.
Anthea Turner reveals why she and partner Mark postponed wedding
After announcing their engagement six years ago, Vanessa asked Anthea if she and Mark had begun planning their big day.
Anthea revealed the couple had started planning for their 2020 wedding, but put everything on hold due to the pandemic.
After finding out that Mark’s mum was “really ill”, the pair had a lot of “toing and throwing” as they wanted her to watch them exchange their vows.
Sadly, she died. Then my mum passed away as well.
“Sadly, she died,” Anthea explained, adding, “And then my mum passed away as well.”
Following their deaths, she said she and Mark haven’t “picked up the threads” again, despite wanting to still get married.
Anthea was previously married to Peter Powell and Grant Bovey. While she never had children of her own, she still has a close relationship with her stepdaughters Claudia, Amelia and Lily, the daughters of her ex-husband Grant.
Anthea wants a ‘proper wedding’
Questioning whether it’s an “age thing”, Anthea – who is 64 – said she doesn’t want Mark to be considered her “boyfriend”.
Vanessa suggested the pair could find a “nice registry office” and could be “married by lunchtime”. However, Anthea insisted she would like a proper wedding.
“I think I’d like to do it better than that,” she responded. “Not a big wedding, at all. I want my friends there. I want that, ‘Love is in the air!’ I want to look at all the people who mean so much to us in our lives.”
Anthea then revealed that her 92-year-old dad has agreed to walk her down the aisle.
Read more: Anthea Turner shares ‘beautiful’ picture of new grandson: ‘You look way too young to be a granny’
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