Maureen Lipman and David Turner Celebrate Finding Love in Their Late Seventies
Coronation Street star Maureen Lipman, 79, and her new husband David Turner, 80, have opened up about discovering profound love together in their late seventies, six months after exchanging vows in an intimate ceremony. The couple tied the knot in September at David's son's London home, marking a joyful new chapter after both experienced the loss of long-term partners.
A Spontaneous Proposal and Immediate Connection
The couple first met in 2023, and the actress spontaneously asked David to marry her just one year later. This came twenty years after the death of her first husband, Jack Rosenthal, and three years after David lost his wife of fifty years, Frances, to Alzheimer's disease. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Maureen revealed that despite being together for just over a year when they got engaged, it 'somehow felt like we’d known each other for the whole of our lives.'
The soap star gushed about their deep connection, explaining she soon realized she 'wanted to be with him 24/7' and recalled that when she moved into David's London home, 'my heart kept telling me I was coming home.' Despite both nearing eighty years old when they married, Maureen declared: 'Sorry if this sounds smug, but I wish any person who’s on their own at my age could find this level of happiness.'
Overcoming Grief and Embracing New Beginnings
David explained that when he first met Maureen, he hadn't been in a place to find love again, having recently lost his beloved wife Frances. Having been her primary carer for her final five years, he described how he'd had to 'hold her hand and watch her disappear' as her dementia progressed, admitting: 'The feeling of helplessness broke my heart.'
However, after spending more time with Maureen, what convinced him to marry again was 'knowing that if anything happened to Maureen, I would want to take care of her.' David added that he became acutely aware of the passage of time, saying: 'When you’re young time stretches on for ever, but when you get to your seventies the second hand begins to pick up speed. We might have one year together, five years or 20 years, so let’s make them the happiest they can be.'
Balancing Career and Cherished Relationship
Maureen revealed her worries ahead of her UK tour of the new show Allegra from May to July, which will mark the first extended period the couple will be apart. Admitting it will be 'difficult,' she said her new marriage had changed her perspective on prioritizing work, as she was reluctant to 'f*** it up.'
'Let’s just say I don’t want to rock the boat too much,' she explained. 'I’ve found someone to look after and someone who wants to look after me. What we have is rare and precious, and I hope I don’t f*** it up.'
The Proposal and Family Reactions
Maureen, who plays Evelyn Plummer in Coronation Street, shared the news of her engagement in the Spectator, revealing she had been the one to propose while on a train in August 2024. She wrote: 'Later that night my partner David and I decided to tell our children that, with a combined age of 156, we are going to get married.'
She described how on a train returning from Edinburgh, David mentioned it was the minor Jewish festival of Tu B'Av, when a woman can ask a man to marry her. 'Unable to resist the gag, I slid under the table separating us onto one knee and asked him for his hand. To my surprise and slight panic, he gave it.'
Maureen was previously married to TV scriptwriter Jack Rosenthal for thirty years until his death in 2004, with whom she shares daughter Amy, 50, and son Adam, 48. David is also the father of three children from his marriage to Frances. Maureen shared that all reactions from their children were warm, with one saying they needed time 'to process it' while another transformed the moment into what she described as 'a Jack Rosenthal play – one with, I like to think, a happy ending.'
Public Appearances and Previous Relationships
Maureen first mentioned David in late 2023 when she shared she was bringing a 'gentleman friend' to that year's National Television Awards. Discussing finding love again at seventy-seven, the star expressed joy, saying: 'It's a gift for all concerned. It's a gift and he's been very nice. I've met some nice men in my life, some really interesting men, and we will see where it goes.'
They made their public debut at the Oldie Of The Year Awards that November, where Maureen proudly said of David: 'That's my significant other.' After her husband's death, she dated Italian businessman Guido Castro for thirteen years before his death in 2021. Speaking about his passing, she confirmed: 'He got Covid – it wasn't Covid that killed him but it weakened him terribly. We don't know how he got it or when or if he had it when he got the vaccine.'
Maureen heartbreakingly added: 'I said to Guido, "It's time to go. You've got to let go". And I think for once in his life he actually did what I told him.' Now, with David, she has found new happiness and companionship in what she describes as a 'rare and precious' relationship that proves love can blossom at any age.
