Dawn French was very proud of herself when she ‘tricked’ Hollywood actor Channing Tatum into marrying her daughter, Billie.
The 64-year-old comedy legend was a guest on The Graham Norton Show last week – with 41-year-old Hollywood hunk Channing joining the fun via video-link.
With the actor flashing up on the screen beside 58-year-old show host Graham, Dawn couldn’t resist propositioning the Magic Mike star on behalf of her 30-year-old daughter.
And the comedy star had the audience and her fellow guests in stitches as she attempted to hoodwink Channing – who split from his wife Jenna Dewan in 2019, but is rumoured to be dating actress Zoe Kravitz – by teasing him to be more spontaneous after the past two years of Covid misery and lockdowns.
Addressing the star, Dawn declared: “I’m Dawn French you wouldn't know me I'm from the eighties, and I'm a goer.
“I just wanted to ask you about how you have coped over the last grim two years with lockdowns, and has it made you more spontaneous to say yes to things?”
She continued: “If I asked you something now, would you say, "Yes Dawn, I will?"'
Sounding a little coy, Channing then said: “I feel like I'm walking into something here, but you're a goer, let's go.”
Dawn then dramatically declared: “Well, I have to tell you, Tanning Chatum, that you just agreed to marry my daughter. You're my son-in-law now!”
While Dawn raised a laugh from the live studio audience – and fellow guests Rob Beckett, Johannes Radebe, and Andrew Garfield, stifled giggles – viewers watching from home were more confused by Dawn calling Channing by the wrong name.
One amused viewer took to Twitter to comment: "Dawn French calling Channing Tatum ‘Tanning Chatum’ is tv gold."
While another pondered: "Does she *actually* think his name is Tanning Chatum?"
And another tweeted: "Dawn French just called Channing Tatum, Tanning Chatum twice on Graham Norton. And I can't stop laughing."
Dawn shares her 30-year-old daughter, Billie, with her ex-husband Lenny Henry, 63 – who she was married to from 1984 until 2010.
The star remarried in 2013, tying-the-knot with charity executive Mark Bignell following two years of dating.
Mark, 55, co-founded a charity called Hamoaze House which helps recovering drug abusers and alcoholics reintegrate into society.
The charity was co-founded by Dawn’s late mother, Felicity – who ultimately introduced Mark to the French and Saunders icon.
Speaking about Mark’s work, Dawn previously told Saga magazine: “His work is quiet and understated - and it's best it remains like that."
Astonishingly, Dawn also revealed that Mark had no idea who she was when they first met.
She told Saga magazine: "I'm not boasting, but you'd actually have to have not watched television for the past 20 years to have avoided me, and he'd managed to do just that."
