Pointless star Richard Osman and actress wife Ingrid Oliver have been married since 2022 – but the beginning of their romance began a couple of years later amid social media interactions and messages via friends
Richard Osman has opened up about the innocent beginnings of his romance with actress Ingrid Oliver which began with online interactions and led to marriage. The 54-year-old Thursday Murder Club author and the 48-year-old Doctor Who actress have been husband and wife since 2022.
Richard, who is also a TV presenter famous for hosting the BBC show Pointless, had longed to meet Ingrid before their romance began, however, having enjoyed exchanges online. She ended up being a guest on his game show House Of Games and they dated for two years before tying-the-knot.
Game show host Richard, who has two children from a previous marriage, had asked a comedian friend to investigate if Ingrid was single when he first became aware of her. Richard was told that she was not single – but with patience and luck led him to starting a romance with her eventually.
Revealing all to The Sunday Times, Richard reflected on how he pined for his now wife, and explained how he managed to manifest a romance. He said: “I was aware of Ingrid from social media and thought she was very funny, but beyond a single tweet we’d never communicated.
“I asked our mutual friend, the comedian Lou Sanders, to check if Ingrid was available. She wasn’t. Twelve months later, in 2021, Ingrid was a guest on my quiz show House of Games.”
The wait had led to a change in circumstances that Richard was able to leap on. He continued: “This time Lou told me Ingrid was available, so I spent a long day in front of the cameras desperately trying not to flirt. I made eye contact less with her than any other guest ever.”
After embarking on a romance, Richard and Ingrid opted to move in together weeks into their romance – and it seems Ingrid couldn’t stop herself falling for the 6’6″ TV star.
She told the publication: “I’d seen marriages not working, so I never wanted to make that commitment unless I knew for sure… When Richard first asked Lou if I was single, I was. I was aware of him from Twitter and the telly, and I thought he was a lovely, kind, clever man, but I’d decided to try IVF and thought, I can’t do this if I’m dating.
“But even then — and I don’t want to sound stalkerish — I had an inkling we’d get together later. I tried IVF three times (it was brutal) before accepting defeat. When Richard got back in touch, I’d made my peace with that process and was ready to move on.”
The couple got married in December 2022 in an intimate ceremony surrounded by family and close loved ones. Richard took to social media at the time to share a snap of himself and his bride – with the pair beaming after vowing to spend their lives together.
Richard wrote on X: “The most magical, joyful day on Saturday with my beautiful wife @ingridoliver100. Surrounded by wonderful friends and family, a day full of love and laughter. We’re so, so happy.”
The pair were inundated with messages of support and congratulations – with famous chef Nigella Lawson and comedian Dara Ó Briain among those sending positive messages towards the couple.
One fan trawled through Richard’s old messages shared on the app to dig one out which read: “I solemnly promise that if I get married you can all have a bank holiday.” The follower wrote alongside a screenshot of the original message: “Many congratulations to you both! (Can we cash this in now?)”
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