Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

BBC's Big Night at the Musicals: Jason Manford's 'disintegrated' first marriage, six children and impressive weightloss

Jason Manford may be best known for his comedy work but the theatre is also his second home.

After starring in the likes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Guys and Dolls himself, the Salford-born star is helping bring the performing world together for a night of entertainment.

Jason is fronting The National Lottery's Big Night at the Musicals which airs on BBC One on Saturday night (January 29).

It was filmed at Manchester's AO Arena earlier this week featured performances from some of the UK's biggest musicals right now.

READ MORE: Tilly Ramsay looks amazing as she poses with Strictly Come Dancing partner Nikita Kumzin

But that's not all as he's also popping on over to chat to John Bishop on The John Bishop Show on ITV.

From his career to family life, here's everything you need to know about Jason Manford.

The 40-year-old comic started his comedy career in early 2000 before joining Ideal, a dark comedy television series which aired on BBC Three, and has since toured multiple times across the country.

Jason, who was born in Salford, was also a team captain on the Channel 4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats from 2007 until 2010 and has since appeared on countless TV shows.

But it wasn't always easy.

Jason spoke to the Mirror about how as a child his family lived in poverty, with his parents caught in a spiral of debt.

Jason performs on stage during The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals at Manchester's AO Arena (Getty Images for The National Lo)

"The bailiffs called all the time. I remember coming home from school and the sofa had gone, another time the telly had gone and another when my mum’s s****y little yellow Triumph Dolomite was gone," he said.

"My dad said, ‘If you ever answer the door to a bailiff, don’t invite them in. They’re like vampires – they can’t come in unless you invite them’.

"It felt like my parents worked constantly. And yet they still had a loan shark who came every week.

"I remember Mum hiding behind the sofa because my dad didn’t have the money to give this guy, who was pretend-friendly. They still feel burned by that."

The Manchester City supporter married his first wife, Catherine, in October 2007 and they had four children together.

Jason Manford and his first wife Catherine (MEN Media)

The family lived in Bramhall, Greater Manchester, but it is believed they split in 2013.

Ans Jason believed the breakdown of his first marriage came as a result of things in his childhood.

"My first marriage really disintegrated on my theory of, ‘I don’t want my children to have the childhood I had,'" he told the Mirror.

“So I was out working all the time and I didn’t put the care and time into that relationship that it deserved and needed.

“It’s only now I’m starting to realise, ‘Oh, I’m not giving the children the childhood I had’, which is good in one thing but bad in another."

In 2017 he married his second wife Lucy Dyke, a TV producer, with whom he has two children.

Last year, Jason shocked fans as he shared his amazing weight loss journey.

Jason told The Mirror: "You get to the point where you go ‘Am I getting enough joy out of life if I’m thinking about my weight?’.

"I think I’ve thought about my weight every day of my adult life.

"Not crying about it, but gone upstairs and tried to put something on that doesn’t fit, or got out of breath chasing the kids. To get to a point where I’m thinking about it in a positive way feels good."

Jason showed off his weight loss last year (Daily Mirror)

A few years ago his doctor warned him he was obese, but climbing on the scales on New Year’s Day 2021 and seeing he was 17st 5lb shocked him into action.

In June last year, Jason revealed he weighed 14st 10lb.

As well as his family's support, Jason also had the backing of a Facebook group he set up in 2017 during an earlier diet attempt.

The Jason Manford Weight Loss Support Group – initially The Jason ManFat Weight Loss Group – has tens of thousands of members who are on their own weight loss journey.

For all the latest news and gossip, click here to sign up to our newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.