Real-life romance for Lesley Dunlop and Chris Chittell

Brenda and Eric’s romance is on shaky ground but things are very different for their real-life alter egos, Lesley Dunlop and Chris Chittell. The pair...
Kerry Barrett
By Kerry Barrett

Brenda and Eric’s romance is on shaky ground but things are very different for their real-life alter egos, Lesley Dunlop and Chris Chittell. The pair have been happily married since 2016.

They met in 2008 when Lesley joined Emmerdale. Chris told the Daily Record in 2012: “It was weird. Somehow we’d never met before and we just kept bumping into each other at work. I can’t even remember if I asked her on a date or she asked me, but she is wonderful and we’re very happy.” Aww!

Lesley Dunlop and Chris Chittell get married

They got engaged in 2015 and then wed on June 18 2016 at St Peter’s Church in Coverack, Cornwall. The ceremony took place in front of their close family and friends. Emmerdale co-stars Bhasker Patel, Sam Hall and Nicola Wheeler were also in attendance.

The couple don’t have any children together. However Chris has two children with his ex-wife Caroline Hunt and Lesley has two children with her former partner Christopher Guard.

Living and working together

In the same interview Chris revealed the secret to living and working together.

“For some people, working together would be a nightmare but we love it,” he insisted.

The actor went on to add: “We make a point of not talking about Emmerdale when we’re at home, though – that would be just too sad, wouldn’t it?”

He also said: “And we do get strange looks when we’re out sometimes. You can see people getting confused.”

However being a real-life couple did have its benefits during Covid. The fact they were together meant they could share scenes and even kiss on screen, despite the restrictions in place.