‘Don't give up at the first sign of hard work’ - Joanna Page admits marriage can be ‘boring’ and ‘rubbish’

Joanna Page attends Pride Of Britain Awards 2025 at Grosvenor House in London — (Image credit: Bang Media International/Alamy)

Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page has shared some revealing insights into her marriage.

The 46-year-old has been married to fellow actor James Thornton, 50, since December 2003 after first meeting in 2009. The couple share four children, Eva, 13, Kit, 10, Noah, nine, and four-year-old Boe.

Joanna Page and husband James Thornton attend the Cirque du Soleil OVO premiere at Royal Albert Hall

While not sleeping in the same bed presented challenges, the chaos that comes with caring for four children also takes an inevitable toll on the couple.

"We are like ships passing in the night sometimes because there's so much going on with the children that we don't have time to sit down and talk to each other," Joanna reveals.

However, she believes part of their secret to staying together is rooted in "kindness and humour" they make sure to keep flowing, even through the darker times.

Also, making the time to talk to each other between the carnage of raising children has been useful for Joanna and James, and appearing together of Joanna's new podcast, Lush! forced that much-needed time alone.

The podcast offers an unfiltered look into Joanna's life, and while James was initially "reluctant" to become occasional co-host for the series, the couple are glad that he agreed to take part.

Likening chatting to one another on the podcast as "couple's therapy," Joanna reveals, "We know everything about each other, but it's quite liberating talking about those things and delving into those things [on the podcast]."

"There are loads of different things that have happened to us over the years but sitting in a room and talking about our opinions, and asking our listeners - we have had a whole debate about the heating," she says.

Speaking about the effect on her husband of having much-needed time to talk, Joanna reveals, "We talked and talked and talked and when it finished, he was like a new man, he was buzzing, and full of life and we really connected."

Lucy is a multi-award nominated writer and blogger with seven years’ experience writing about entertainment, parenting and family life. Lucy worked as a freelance writer and journalist at the likes of PS and moms.com, before joining GoodtoKnow as an entertainment writer, and then as news editor. The pull to return to the world of television was strong, and she was delighted to take a position at woman&home to once again watch the best shows out there, and tell you why you should watch them too.

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