It's a quest that has dominated people’s lives since the dawn of time, yet meeting the love of your life is usually depicted as a young person’s game.
Enter Miranda Hart. Appearing on The One Show to discuss her new book, I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You, the actress and comedian revealed that she became a ‘young bride at 51’, adding that ‘it’s just so lovely’.
In fact, Hart said she didn’t meet ‘her person’ until she was 49 and their story is ‘a little undercurrent’ in her new memoir. ‘I’m not going to reveal how we met as that is a little bit of a twist,’ she continued. ‘He’s my best friend, we have the best fun and I’m just thrilled to be a young bride at 51.’
As the star of several shows including her semi-autobiographical sitcom Miranda, the hit BBC drama Call the Midwife, and the 2015 action film Spy, Hart has amassed a legion of fans over the years. All of which were quick to offer their congratulations.
One fan joked on X, ‘Congratulations to you both Miranda. It’s better to wait long than to marry wrong. I hope you both are happy for the rest of your lives.’ Another said, ‘Literally screamed when she announced it. So happy for her!!’ While a third posted, ‘That is blooming marvellous news.’
Hart then filmed a thank you note in the cab on her way home and said, ‘Thank you so much for all your lovely messages about the news. It’s really, very touching that you should be happy that I’m happy. And I really, really am. I’ve got my best friend to do life with and it’s wonderful.’
With Netflix’s top new romcom Nobody Wants This centring a love story played by people in their 40s, a fourth Bridget Jones film on the horizon, a second season of My Mum, Your Dad recently out on ITV, and endless hype around the next season of And Just Like That, there is certainly an appetite for love stories that take place later in life.
It’s not hard to understand why. There is something refreshing about watching (or hearing about) people fall in love when they have a strong sense of who they are, no intention of messing each other around and a clear idea of what they are looking for. All of which are (usually, not exclusively) afforded to people who have a few more years' experience under their belts.
For so long, the only ‘love stories’ we’ve been shown in popular culture are between 20-somethings who are looking to have fun, meet new people and potentially boost their social media following. As is the script of almost every popular reality dating show...
Otherwise, as Normal People captured so perfectly during lockdown, young love is often contingent on the excruciating thrill of a will-they-won’t-they relationship, which is so prevalent amongst people who aren't sure of what they want.
While these stories have their place, there’s definitely room for fecund, meaningful and 'unconventional' relationships between people over the age of 40 too.
They are unconventional in the sense that they are not regularly depicted in film and TV, but by no means does that mean they are unconventional in the real world. In fact, Hart’s story, Joanne and Noah in Nobody Wants This, Carrie and Aidan in AJLT, and Bridget [spoiler here] in Mad About The Boy all hold a mirror up to society where these relationships are starting, strengthening and thriving everywhere, all the time. Whether that be for the first, second or seventh time.
Gone are the days when the default love story is about people who settle down with their childhood sweetheart – who they happen to align with and find continuously interesting, exciting and supportive throughout their lives – and stay together forever. Love comes in many forms and can arrive at any age, it’s about time we all started to celebrate that.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).