National Television Awards 2024 - Show

Bradley and Donna have been married since 1997. (Image: Getty)

Bradley Walsh has opened up about his marriage to long-term love Donna Derby, and made a surprising admission about their relationship dynamic. The couple wed in 1997 and share son, Barney, 28, but still keep the spontaneity alive by regularly playing games together, especially at Christmas time. The ITV host revealed his dance teacher wife is actually the humorous one out of the pair.

Speaking on their family traditions, Bradley shared: “We play lots of games in our house at Christmas, which are always organised by my wife Donna. He added: “We have lots of laughs”. Bradley is best known for hosting game shows such as The Chase, Blankety Blank, and The Wheel of Fortune, as well as the recent remake of the hit 90s series Gladiators.

Bradley and Donna live in a gorgeous £2.5million home in Essex, but most people are unaware that the latter is actually a star in her own right. After working in the music industry for many years, she famously appeared in Robert Palmer’s Simply Irresistible 80s pop video.

Meanwhile, Barney has decided to follow in his famous parents’ footsteps and has appeared in Casualty and co-hosts Gladiators with his father, among other TV stints.

Before Bradley met his current wife, Donna, he dated Bernie Nolan. The famous pair were introduced by Bernie’s sister, Coleen, and her ex-husband, Shane Richie, in 1999. Bernie and Bradley dated for three years before calling it quits.

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The TRIC Awards 2023 - Inside

Bradley and Donna share a son Barney. (Image: Getty)

Sadly, in 2013, after a three-year-long battle with breast cancer, she tragically died. Before her death, she told the Mirror: “Shane Richie and Coleen introduced me to Bradley in 1989.

“They took me to see him in a show. Afterwards, we chatted for the first time. It was a bit embarrassing because I already knew he fancied me, but it was awkward in a nice way.”

Blankety Blank will return to BBC One and iPlayer for a festive special this Christmas, and show host Bradley will be joined by six big-name celebrities who will help four contestants try to and win some of telly’s most unique prizes by filling in the missing BLANKS. This episode will include: Alex Brooker, Charlotte Church, Daniel Mays, Jack Dee, Motsi Mabuse, and Stephanie Beacham.