Vera icon Brenda Blethyn reveals unconventional living arrangement with husband of 15 years
Vera legend Brenda Blethyn and her husband Michael Mayhew live separately in their Ramsgate property.
Brenda Blethyn and her husband Michael Mayhew live in separate apartments within their property.
The Vera actress - who quit the ITV crime drama in January after 14 years to spend more time with her family - said their unconventional living arrangement in Ramsgate works "brilliantly".
Brenda, 79, explained to The Telegraph: "My husband lives upstairs. We moved into this very nice flat in Ramsgate, and I’d be saying, ‘Can I open a window, it’s very hot in here?’ And he’d say, ‘No, it’s freezing.’
"And after a while, I said, ‘Is that flat downstairs still vacant?’ So I moved downstairs. It works brilliantly.
"We eat together. We go out together. We live together, but in different apartments."
She added: "I’m a LAT [Living Apart Together]. It’s got a lot to say for itself.
"Having your own space to be able to choose what you want to listen to on the radio or to watch on the TV, or if you want your friends round.
"And also, when I’ve got somewhere I have to go, like today, I took Jack upstairs, my dog, and he’s with Michael."
Brenda and Michael met in 1975 at the National Theatre, and they got married in 2010.
However, the pair having children has never been on the cards.
Brenda admitted: "I’ve never been that maternal, hankering after a child.
"It’s never been something that I dwelt on."
Despite quitting Vera in January, Brenda - who was married to Alan James Blethyn from 1964 until 1973 - previously admitted it was a "hard decision" to step back from her 14-year run as the titular role.
However, she added that she does not miss the long shooting periods.
In January, she told Woman's Weekly magazine: "It was a hard decision because I love Vera.
"Come March, when I would normally be getting ready to go back up to Northumberland, I’ll probably cry. It’s just that I’ve been working on it for 14 years.
"But as much as I loved all that, I’ve got a family at home and I realised I hadn’t had a summer for all that time with my family. I won’t miss being away from home for six months of the year."
