Gavin & Stacey’s Joanna Page says watching hubby James Thornton garden topless during lockdown has boosted her sex life
GAVIN and Stacey star Joanna Page might be a busy mum of three, but that hasn’t stopped her dreaming of baby number four.
Joanna, best known for playing lovable Stacey in the eponymous show, shares Eva, seven, Kit, five, and Noah, who turns four next month, with actor husband James Thornton, 45.
While family life was turned upside down due to the pandemic this year, Joanna said they’ve tried to find time to keep the spark alive, as she admitted she “fancied” James from the minute she met him.
She said: “We had even less time with each other than usual. James was in the studio until 11pm, doing all the voiceovers he possibly could and I’d be full-on with the kids all day, so it was really tough.”
The pair became passing ships as she home-schooled and he threw himself into voiceover work having (presciently) built a studio at their Berkshire home.
With three children and two dogs (a cocker spaniel who is “very sweet but also a killer” with a penchant for bringing dead moles into the kitchen and a sprocker who is “so neurotic that she needs therapy”) plus plans for a tortoise, guinea pig, cat and possibly another dog, it’s a busy household and couple time inevitably often comes last on the list of priorities.
Joanna and former Emmerdale star James first met 20 years ago after being set up by mutual friend Maxine Peake, having fancied each other from afar for the best part of a year.
After their first date James came back to Joanna’s and, as she says, never left.
“From the minute we met there was a spark and we couldn’t stop talking. I fancied him and he was really sexy and we got on like a house on fire. From the start we knew that was it.”
They married in 2003, but put off starting a family for 10 years until one morning Joanna woke up and suddenly felt wildly broody.
The three children followed in quick succession, although she’s still not completely sure how the youngest was conceived.
“I don’t actually even remember managing to have sex with James when we had two young children so I’ve no idea how we managed to get Noah!
At some point we must have said ‘OK, we need a third one, let’s just quickly do it and be done with it.’
“But I do not remember having a sex life because it’s been non-stop children and exhaustion.”
She might be knackered, but she whispers conspiratorially that part of her wants to go for a fourth.
This despite James having already vetoed even the mere notion.
“If it was up to me we’d have a fourth, but after the third James said he was done. He thought a fourth might break him.
“But I have that app on my phone that tells me when my period is coming and I can see when I’m ovulating and in my head I think: ‘Hmm, would I be messing things up with my career if I went ‘oh sod it, let’s get another one’?’
“I could just go for it and not tell James… He would just be so over the moon that we were having sex!”
There are still occasional opportunities for spontaneity. Joanna came back to the house one morning recently after the school and nursery run and spotted James in the garden.
“He was doing some weeding, bare-chested and wearing just a pair of tracksuit bottoms and I just looked at him and thought: ‘Ohh I haven’t fancied him as much as this in ages!’
“So I said: ‘Right, get upstairs, we have an hour before I have to get ready to pick up Noah so we’re going to have sex!’
We’re practical about it these days, there’s little romance. And obviously he was straight up the stairs so we managed that fine!”
This was the year Joanna was meant to re-establish her career after taking time out to have her children, but instead she found herself at home home-schooling the kids as the country went into lockdown.
When the country went into lockdown back in March, the jam-packed diary immediately emptied.
Two BBC shows and a pilot for ITV were paused and the release of her comedy-drama film Dream Horse, also starring Toni Collette and Damian Lewis, was put on hold.
But she’s looking forward to the future, and hopes for 2021 are pretty simple.
Joanna revealed: “I just want to have fun and different experiences and to get all of my work up and running again.”
“It’s weird, I can’t wait to go clubbing. I haven’t been clubbing for years. I just want to dance!”
Most read in Celebrity
From Gavin and Stacey to The Kumars – How will TV families cope with a Covid Christmas?
Previously, Mathew Horne addressed the rumours of another Christmas special.
And Gavin & Stacey’s Russell Tovey to star alongside Celine Dion in new movie Text For You.