Inside Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis romance after they found love on Outnumbered

Outnumbered Christmas special: Official trailer

Outnumbered parents Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis played the loving parents Sue and Pete for many years on the BBC comedy - but have since been together for several years.

The sitcom followed the Brockman family including children Jake, Ben and Karen and their lives and parents dealing with growing children with different personalities and issues.

During the series' run, Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis were in their own marriages. But before the Christmas special in 2016, both actors' relationships had ended in divorce.

After media speculation, Hugh confirmed his relationship with Claire years later and they have happily living together. But what else do we know about their lives?

How Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis got together

Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis (Image: Getty)

Claire Skinner was previously married to director Charles Palmer and they had two sons together. Their marriage ended in 2016.

Outnumbered is probably Claire Skinner's most known role, but viewers will also recognise her in film Bridget Jones' Diary, Life Begins, Sense and Sensibility.

In recent years, Claire Skinner has also starred in The Pale Horse, Inside No. 9, Scream Street, Ted Lasso and McDonald & Dodds.

Hugh Dennis married is second wife Catherine Abbot-Anderson in 1996, and they had a son and a daughter. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2015.

Hugh Dennis, a household name in British comedy, is best known for his roles on Mock The Week, QI, and as a guest host on Have I Got News for You. His acting credits include Outnumbered, My Hero, and Not Going Out, and he even made an unexpected appearance in the James Bond movie No Time To Die.

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Ater filming wrapped on the Outnumbered Christmas special in 2016, the pair began dating and entered a relationship.

Hugh Dennis recalled in 2018: "That happened I suppose about a year and a half ago. We did an Outnumbered Christmas special about three years ago and then met up again about a year and a half ago."

Claire also opened up about their romance during a 2019 interview with The Times, revealing that the couple were together for a while before the news was announced.

She said: "Nobody really noticed when Hugh Dennis and I first got into a relationship.

"The news didn't come out until a year later, which was great. People said to us that someone will notice soon but I kept telling them, 'We're both over 50. Why would anyone be interested in that?'

"We've got families we wanted to protect, but everybody's pretty cool and happy with it."

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Hugh Dennis is a successful TV actor and comedian (Image: Getty)

Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis reportedly live together in a £1.2million London penthouse. Claire previously told The Times that she enjoys running, walking and also loves yoga in her spare time.

Claire's oldest son William is also an actor and is known professionally as Bill Skinner. He has appeared in various TV shows such as Ted Lasso, McDonald & Dodds, Endeavour and The Cleaner.

The brand new episode of Outnumbered, set to air at 9.40pm on Boxing Day on BBC One, will see Sue Brockman (Claire Skinner) and Pete Brockman (Hugh Dennis) welcome their family into their house for Christmas.

Their eldest child Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey) is the father of an energetic three-year-old child, with his siblings also facing their own issues with adulthood. But the special will see Pete try and tell his family he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Inside Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis romance after they found love on Outnumbered

Inside Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis romance after they found love on Outnumbered

Inside Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis romance after they found love on Outnumbered

Inside Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis romance after they found love on Outnumbered

Inside Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis romance after they found love on Outnumbered