Lenny Henry’s ‘light bulb’ moment with ex-wife Dawn French
Lenny Henry has been dating casting director Lisa Makin for over 15 years, but before he met her, the former Comic Relief presenter was married to The Vicar of Dibley star Dawn French. The pair first met on the alternative comedy circuit, and Lenny attempted to approach Dawn and her comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders, to join his own show. Although he was turned down by the pair, an attraction developed between him and Dawn. Speaking to The Times in 2022, Lenny admitted that he had come from a string of bad relationships, but that following a conversation with Dawn, he had a “light bulb” moment with her, that made him realise he had fallen for the star. “During this period, I’d been serial dating a variety of dancers from summer shows, funkateers and fellow clubbers,” he explained. “None of these relationships was based on companionship, fellow feeling or a ‘meeting of minds’. Most of them were fuelled purely by physical attraction. “Besides, I lacked attention span when it came to actually being with someone. So, …
