{"id":142596,"date":"2023-08-30T22:03:39","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T22:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebritywshow.com\/?p=142596"},"modified":"2023-08-30T22:03:39","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T22:03:39","slug":"eastenders-star-splits-from-husband-of-17-years-after-rough-few-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebritywshow.com\/celebrities\/eastenders-star-splits-from-husband-of-17-years-after-rough-few-months\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders star ‘splits from husband of 17 years’ after ‘rough few months’"},"content":{"rendered":"

EastEnders actress Lucy Benjamin, who has played Lisa Fowler on-and-off since 1998, is reported to have split from her husband of 17 years, Richard Taggart.<\/p>\n

The couple, who share two children, Bessie, 16, and 12-year-old Rosie, are said to have had a "rough few months" before calling time on their relationship.<\/p>\n

A source close to the soapstar told The Sun: "Lucy and Richard tried to make it work but ultimately decided it was best they split up. <\/p>\n

"It\u2019s been rough for them both in recent months but hopefully they can now start looking forward to the future. Their children will always be their number one priority."<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

OK!<\/b> have contacted representatives for Lucy Benjamin for comment.<\/p>\n

Lucy and Richard tied the knot in 2006 at Babington House, Somerset. The couple met during a flight to Dubai and got engaged just three months later.<\/p>\n

Speaking previously about their first meeting, the soap legend said: "He was sat next to me and while I was reading a book, he tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'This must be strange for you because I know a lot about you and you don\u2019t know anything about me, but my name\u2019s Richard and I\u2019m going to Dubai'.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

"Fortunately, I found it very funny and we didn\u2019t stop chatting. We were engaged within six weeks \u2014 and married within nine months."<\/p>\n

Lucy admitted that the pair rushed into marriage as she was a "but pushy" revealing that she was seven weeks pregnant at their wedding.<\/p>\n

During their marriage, the couple welcomed two daughters, although they won't have seen their mum's soap career, as she previously revealed that she doesn\u2019t allow them to watch EastEnders because it\u2019s "too depressing."<\/p>\n

The actress said at the time that she felt the heavy storylines would be too much for Bessie and Rosie to handle.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Prior to her marriage, Lisa was in a relationship with her co-star Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell on the long-running soap.<\/p>\n

The pair dated for four years before splitting in 2003, although they seemingly remained on good terms having since worked together several times as Lucy made a return to EastEnders in 2010, 2017 and between 2019 and 2020.<\/p>\n

And earlier this year Lucy made another drama-filled return to EastEnders as Lisa Fowler, where she was involved in a dramatic storyline as she took Keanu Taylor's four year old daughter, Peggy, away to live in Portugal without Keanu's permission.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n