One of her divorces left her ‘devastated’
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Since entering the I’m A Celebrity jungle, Ruby Wax’s openness – be it asking Alex Scott about wedding plans, revealing she’d like to date rapper Aitch, or recalling her run in with OJ Simpson – has already seen the outspoken American become a main character in the camp.
Of course, Ruby has long lived a life as colourful as her infamous interviews, and this includes her relationships. From multiple marriages to a ‘nanny from hell’, here’s everything to know about Ruby Wax’s love life.
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Who is Ruby Wax married to? Inside her love life
Ruby is currently married to British director and producer Ed Bye, having tied the knot with him in 1998. Although she found her happy ending in the director, it was a journey to get there.
Teenage years: Her first boyfriend
Raised on the outskirts of Chicago, Ruby fondly recalled her first romance at 15 with a ‘gorgeous football player’ boyfriend during an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.
As often is the case, their teenage relationship didn’t last. She revealed how her boyfriend later came out as gay, saying, ‘I was his prom queen; we fought over the sash. In the end, he wanted to be a prom queen more than I did.’
Who were Ruby’s first two husbands?
After leaving home at 17, Ruby went on to carve out a life for herself in the UK, studying at the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. But while her career was on the rise – working alongside close pal and Harry Potter legend Alan Rickman while with the Royal Shakespeare Company – Ruby’s love life was more complicated.
Ruby spoke about her previous marriages while on Paloma Faith’s Mad Bad Sad podcast, explaining, ‘I didn’t really date till I was much older because I was so scared. So I stayed away. I only had homosexuals around me, because they thought I was a riot.’
Explaining that she married ‘two homosexuals’ and ‘really loved’ one of her former husbands, Ruby revealed how she realised ‘something was wrong’ with her relationship after discovering explicit magazines hidden in their bedroom. ‘Under the bed was a male porno,’ she explained. ‘And I thought, well, we have the same taste in genitalia. I was devastated.’
Adding that she had believed her then-husband was the ‘love of her life,’ Ruby said, ‘He was gay. I knew that. But I thought I had turned him. He never turned.’
The comedian’s story took a turn when she then revealed her ex-spouse ‘disappeared for 30 years,’ before reaching out via a letter. She explained, ‘I was going to Hawaii for some work thing and he said, “I’ll meet you there and I’ll make a dinner for you.” He was there with his boyfriend. And then when I got there and I said, “Well, where are you?” He said, “I’m not going to let you ruin the second half of my life like you did the first.” Imagine the shock!’
When pressed by Paloma why their relationship had soured, Ruby admitted that she unintentionally ‘outed’ her ex-husband in her 2002 memoir How Do You Want Me? Recalling how she had changed the name to ‘Michael,’ she shared, ‘I said, “Michael and I got married in Las Vegas,” and then I talked about his homosexuality… and I realised his parents would know who Michael was, because I said I married him. I outed him. That’s why I think he’s angry. I’m sorry, if you’re listening to this.’
Ruby was married and divorced twice between the years of 1976 and 1986. Her first marriage was to theatre administrator Andrew Porter from 1976 to 1980, with Ruby later being quoted as saying it was for a work permit. She later went on to marry Trevor Walton from 1981 to 1986, alleging it was so the Englishman could get a US work permit. Neither of Ruby’s ex-husbands appear to have touched on their marriage to the comedian, with not much known about their love lives following their divorces.
Who is Ruby’s current husband, Ed Bye?
Ruby’s romantic fortunes changed in the late 80s, when she met British director and producer Ed Bye while working on the hit sitcom Girls On Top. In an interview with The Independent in 1993, Ruby recalled, ‘I didn’t think he was interested in me. It was Joan Greenwood who said, “Eddy loves you,” and I said, “Get out of here, Joan.” She said, “Oh no, you must go out with Eddy,” so as a favour to Joan, I started to get interested.’
Ed has reflected on his relationship with the ‘spiky’ star, sharing, ‘It’s difficult to say who made the first move – we just sort of merged. The first romantic moment, the kiss, was in the corridor of the hotel in Nottingham, the name of which eludes me, although I remember the night, which we spent together, distinctly. We’ve been together ever since.’
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The pair married in 1988 and went on to welcome three children – a son named Max, 37, and daughters Madeline, 35, and Marina, 32.
Having now been married for over three decades, Ruby opened up in 2021 about the secret to their happy life together. Describing their relationship as ‘unconventional,’ she explained, ‘I have my friends, he has his friends. I don’t assume we have the same tastes. It’s understood we both have different careers. We’re together, but we have different tastes and jobs – and that’s OK. We don’t step on each other’s toes, and I don’t really see myself as Mrs Bye.’
Did Ruby’s husband have an affair?
As with many marriages, Ruby and Ed navigated ups and downs. In 2011, the pair found their relationship thrust under the spotlight after a ‘nanny from hell’ allegeded that Ruby has been embroiled in an affair. Speaking with The Standard in 2012, Ruby claimed, ‘Don’t believe any of those stories about our marriage break-up. Ed and I are very much together – it’s just that we had a nanny who turned out to be insane.’
She continued, ‘I’d had years of great nannies. But, sometimes, people are jealous; I don’t know why. Anyway, when I fired this girl, she was really inflamed.
‘What she claimed was that I’d had an affair. However baseless the accusation, you can only imagine the tension it produced with Ed and me. She invented the whole thing. But that’s all in the past now, and Ed and I are stronger for it.’
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! airs at 9pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX, and STV Player.
Charlotte Roberts is a writer at Grazia UK, specialising in SEO. She spends her days covering everything celebrity, culture, and entertainment – from film review roundups to cast explainers.
