Martin Clunes’ forgotten first actress wife starred alongside Golden Age icon

Martin Clunes will be returning to screens as Huw Edwards, the disgraced BBC presenter, with the actor appearing in the two-part miniseries, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards.

The actor is currently happily married to producer Philippa Braithwaite, but before meeting the Men Behaving Badly star, Martin was married to actress Lucy Aston. Lucy has had small parts in the likes of Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective, Crown Court and Maggie.

It was in the latter role, however, that the star appeared alongside Hollywood royalty Ava Gardner. Lucy played a receptionist in the TV film, while Ava played Diane Webb, the sister-in-law of the titular character.

Ava was a leading light in what is known as the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’, making her debut in 1941’s Fancy Answers. She shot to fame in the 1950s with roles in Show Boat, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Barefoot Contessa and Mogambo, the latter of which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

The star, who passed away in 1990, was married three times, including to Hollywood actor Mickey Rooney, big band leader Artie Shaw and iconic singer Frank Sinatra.

Lucy and Martin

The couple married in 1990, however, while the early years were filled with marital bliss, neither have positive memories of their union.

Speaking to The Daily Mirror, Lucy explained how she “slammed” her wedding ring on the table when they split, with the pair ending up in a heated row in the middle of a Chinese restaurant. Lucy claimed that her ex-husband had called her “boring” as she didn’t partake in his partying lifestyle.

She told the publication that he had called her an “embarrassment” during the row, adding: “He told me I was boring and different and I just thought: ‘No more’. I stood up and said ‘thanks for dinner – this is the end’ and stormed out. I sat in the car shaking with rage.

“Later I went back and Martin was sitting there, surrounded by take-away cartons filled with our meal. He just looked at me. I took off my gold wedding ring, slammed it on the table and walked out. We both knew it was over.”

© Getty

In 2008, Martin was scathing about their relationship, saying: “I don’t know if I was searching for anything. Maybe I was. I kind of found it without looking. When I met Philippa, I was coming out of a rotten marriage and was very resistant to the idea of getting involved again.”

However, the actor has since claimed that he and Lucy have been able to put their old differences aside and become “friends”.