This City is Ours' Julie Graham: 'Devastating' suicide of first husband, and second chance at love with toyboy 16 years younger
Her real life relationship also ended in tragedy
Julie Graham is currently playing grieving widow Elaine Phelan in This City is Ours, and it’s a role she’s very familiar with in real life, too, after the tragic death of her husband.
In series 2 of the BBC crime drama, the Scottish actress reprises her role as the mob wife whose husband Ronnie was stabbed to death in series 1.
This year’s new episodes show her struggling to come to terms with his death, as his crime business falls to pieces in his absence.
In real life, Julie knows only too well the devastation caused by an unexpected and premature death. Here’s actress Julie Graham in profile, including her real life tragedy, moving on with her younger husband, and how she became famous.
What is Julie Graham most famous for?
Actress Julie Graham, 61, is famous for her long and varied TV and film career, which began more than four decades ago. Of course, nowadays she is most famous for playing steely mob wife Elaine Phelan in This City is Ours.
The Scot is well known to TV viewers, having appeared in huge series such as Benidorm, Shetland, The Bill, Silent Witness, and Time. Her first major role was on Channel 4′s Blood Red Roses in 1986, before she went on to bag a recurring role on Casualty in 1988 as student nurse Alison McGrellis.
Between 2000 and 2003, she played Megan Hartnoll in At Home with the Braithwaites, appearing in all four seasons of the award-winning comedy-drama. It was written by Happy Valley’s creator Sally Wainwright.
In 2003, Julie led the cast of BAFTA-nominated William and Mary opposite Martin Clunes. The series explored the romance between undertaker William Shawcross and midwife Mary Gilcrest.
From 2008 to 2010, Julie played the lead role of Abby Grant in BBC science fiction drama Survivors. Next were roles in Being Eileen, and The Bletchley Circle, followed by the big role of DI Perez’s boss Rhona Kelly in Shetland. And then came her famous turn in Benidorm. While Sheron only appeared in the last three seasons of the hit comedy, she certainly made it memorable!
Her more recent roles have included Acorn TV’s Queens of Mystery, which aired from 2019 to 2021. She also played Annie Marling in Ridley, and Dr Susan Fisher in Maternal. In 2023, she played Lou Harkness in Time, Connie Morris in Payback, and Clover in The Serial Killer’s Wife.
In 2024, Julie took on the role of wily Ma in the cast of Channel 5 period drama The Hardacres.
Julie Graham is Elaine Phelan in the cast of This City is Ours
She stars as Ronnie Phelan’s matriarchal wife Elaine in series 1 and 2 of This City is Ours. She’s fiercely protective of her son Jamie, and his place in the business. Even though, deep down, she knows he can’t be trusted.
In series 1, Elaine’s husband Ronnie was murdered in cold blood by his snake-eyed protégé Michael Kavanagh. (More on that here if you need a recap of why Michael killed Ronnie).
Series 2 continues in the aftermath of his murder, with the Phelan gang “on their knees”. Talking about her character arc in series 2, she told us: “At the beginning of series two, she is bereaved. Her husband Ronnie was murdered, and she’s been betrayed. I would describe her as an iron fist in a velvet glove.”
She continued: “At the beginning of series two, the gang are very fractured. They’re not together anymore. And so people are at different stages of their grief, betrayal or anger, and that makes for a recipe for vengeance. Everybody has their own agenda, and they’re willing to see that agenda through to the end.”
Who is Julie Graham’s husband?
Off-screen Julie Graham has had her fair share of trauma. Her first husband, and the father to her children, took his own life.
Julie Graham was married to actor Joseph Bennett from 2002 until his tragic death in 2015. The pair met while playing brother and sister in a stage play, married after eight months together, and had two children together called Edie and Cyd. She said she was “absolutely nuts about him”.
Joseph had a TV and film career spanning more than 15 years. He was most famous for appearing in the films Howards End, The Last Minute, and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: My First Adventure. On TV, he appeared in Boon, The Bill, The Darling Buds of May, and Silent Witness. He even popped up in his wife’s romcom William and Mary, playing DS London in four episodes. He last appeared on screen in 2006, portraying The Director in the short film Corpse.
However, in April 2015, Julie was left “heartbroken” after he tragically took his own life. His body was found in Richmond Park. Julie was 49 at the time, and was said to be “devastated”. Their children were aged nine and 11 at the time.
Scotland Yard confirmed the reports, saying at the time: “A man in his mid-40s was pronounced dead at the scene. A report has been submitted to the coroner’s officer.”
Did Julie Graham date Joe McGann?
Julie previously dated actor Joe McGann, before her marriage. They were in a high-profile romantic relationship in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
They dated for approximately five years, living together in Brighton, before parting ways in the early 2000s. Following their breakup, Julie Graham went on to marry actor Joseph Bennett in 2002.
Julie Graham previously admitted that there had been a “short overlap” before the end of her five-year relationship with actor Joe McGann. In an interview shortly after her wedding, she said: “I felt disloyal but Joe (McGann) was good about it. I knew very quickly that Joe (Bennett) was the one.
“My husband was in an edition of Casualty so I went down to Bristol to join him for the weekend. I walked into the hotel bar and there he was, having a drink with Joe McGann, who was just about to start filming a different episode of Casualty. I almost turned on my heel and ran but it was fine. They got on really well.”
Joe McGann went on to play Edward Hutchinson in Hollyoaks, and married “lifestyle guru” Tamzin McGann in 2006. They are now divorced and he is dating campaigner Frances Molloy.
Julie Graham also briefly dated Liam Neeson before he met and married Natasha Richardson.
Who is Julie Graham’s husband now and what is the age gap?
Julie is now married to Belgian skydiving instructor Davy Croket, who helped mend her broken heart. The pair met while she was filming Benidorm.
Talking to the Sun, she said: “He’s just lovely, gorgeous and he makes me happy. Meeting somebody was the last thing I wanted to do. I was adamant that I wanted to spend some time on my own.
“Although the year was difficult in some ways, it has been really positive too.”
Julie isn’t shy of sharing pictures of her younger husband on her Instagram page. Just recently, she marked their anniversary with a special message, saying: “Seven years married to this hunka hunka burnin’ love. You still rock my world @croketdavy.”
He now owns Kitts Campsite, a nature focused, family friendly, spacious campsite in a beautiful location in West Sussex.
Death of Julie Graham’s best friend Clare Cathcart
Julie Graham suffered another tragic loss, when her best friend Clare Cathcart died in 2014. Northern Ireland actress Clare, star of New Tricks and Call the Midwife, died from a severe asthma attack when she was just 48.
Talking about her death, she said: “With my best friend it was so shocking. That’s what I drew on most, the shock. I remember that very vividly.”
Where is she from, and how old is she?
Julie Graham was born on July 24, 1965 in Glasgow, Scotland. She is currently 61 years old.
She was raised by her mother Betty who died from lung cancer at age 50 when Julie was just a teenager.
Julie has said previously: “I was 18 and I felt utterly destroyed. I didn’t have the emotional mechanism to deal with a loss of this magnitude.”
What happened to Julie Graham on Shetland?
Julie Graham appeared on Shetland on and off between 2014 and 2022. She portrayed Procurator Fiscal Rhona Kelly, but was replaced without explanation in the eighth series in 2023.
Julie’s character Rhona was initially replaced in by Procurator Fiscal Harry Lamont (Tibu Fortes). In series 10, Samuel Anderson’s Matt Blake took over.
Julie Graham left Shetland primarily due to scheduling conflicts and the natural evolution of the show’s cast following the departure of lead actor Douglas Henshall.
Talking about playing Rhona, Julie said at the time: “Rhona is an uncompromising Procurator Fiscal. She’s got a very good relationship with Perez – they’ve worked together for some time so she has a very easy way with him. But you know she doesn’t take any prisoners and has a no-nonsense approach to work. She can take the hard line but it’s always fair.”
What part did Julie Graham play in Doc Martin?
Julie Graham played Maggie Reid (also Maggie Penhale) in Doc Martin in two episodes in 2011. Maggie was the ex-wife of PC Joe Penhale, played by John Marquez.
She appeared in series 5’s episode 5, entitled Remember Me. In the episode, she arrived in Portwenn suffering from trauma-induced amnesia, wrongly believing that she and Joe were still happily married.
She also appeared in episode six, where she got the all-clear from the doctor and decided to return to Bude. This forced PC Penhale to take desperate measures to persuade her to stay in Portwenn.
Does Julie Graham have a tattoo?
Julie has several tattoos. She previously had a symbol on her right arm, but subsequently changed her mind about it and covered it with a green thistle.
She also has a round tattoo on her right shoulder, and a small star one on her wrist.
Did she have a gap between her front teeth?
Those of you who have followed Julie Graham’s career for years will have noticed that she looks a bit different now! In the early days of her fame, she had a noticeable Madonna-style gap between her bottom teeth.
It’s medically known as a diastema. However, in later years, Julie has had dental work to close the gap. She has spoken about how it was “cute in her 20s and sexy in her 30s”. But by her 40s she felt it looked too prominent on screen.
She chose to get the gap filled/fixed so it was no longer there.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness or suicidal thoughts, call the Samaritans on 116 123.
