Actor and singer Robson Green has become a staple of British television, with a diverse career spanning multiple decades. The 62 year old is known for his notable roles in popular TV series such as Casualty, Soldier Soldier, and Grantchester, making him a familiar face to audiences nationwide.
In addition to his acting work, some may also recognise the 60-year-old him from his chart-topping musical duo Robson and Jerome or his more recent endeavors in shows like Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes, which showcases his passion for fishing.
He returns to our screens tonight for a new series of Grantchester, where he plays detective Geordie Keating. But what do we know about his life off-screen?
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Below we look at his rollercoaster love life and his heartbreak after he ‘lost everything’ when his home was hit by a flood.
Robson Green’s heartbreak after home was ‘washed away’
Robson Green has opened up about the heartache he suffered when his historic home was ravaged by a flood, resulting in the loss of all his treasured belongings. The actor’s 350 year old cottage in Hexham, Northumberland, which sits on the banks of the River Tyne, was submerged under seven feet of water during the disaster in 2015.
Speaking to Radio Times, he said: “I live in an old ferryman’s cottage that’s 350 years old, and I love it. I’ve got Hadrian’s Wall to the north and there are pheasants and deer in the garden every morning.
“But in 2015 my house was under seven feet of water, destroyed in a flood. Everything precious and personal in my life, just washed away. It was very painful, I was devastated. Not only were there salmon going down the Tyne that day, my three-piece suite was, too.”
He also shared with Mail on Sunday the catastrophic conditions that led to the flooding: “It was the perfect storm. There was a massive amount of rain, a spring tide, and at the same time the Kielder Water dam had to release 20 cubic metres of water a second to prevent it bursting.”
“I’m right on the apex of where all this water met, and a huge surge swelled up straight through my house.”
Robson Green’s love life
Robson married occupational therapist Alison Ogilvie in 1991, whom he had met through director Andrew Gunn. However, they parted ways in 1999 following allegations of his four-year affair with PR executive Pamela McDonald.
Robson met his second wife, former model Vanya Seager, while she was working as Simon Cowell’s secretary and he was recording Unchained Melody with Jerome Flynn. The couple welcomed their son, Taylor Robson Green, in April 2000 before tying the knot at Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire in 2001.
However, after many years of marital bliss, Robson and Vanya decided to end their marriage, officially divorcing in 2013. He confessed to the Daily Mail: “Vanya and I just grew apart. I don’t blame it on the career. It’s just we were different and we didn’t develop together. My mind went in one direction, hers in the other.”
Robson is currently in a relationship with Zoila Short and they reside together in Hexham, Northumberland. Despite being very private, they have been seen together on the red carpet. In a 2023 interview with The Times, Robson disclosed that he and Zoila are not contemplating marriage.
He confessed: “No, I’ve done enough of that. We’re very happy together.”
Robson previously made a frank remark about his “car crash” relationships on ITV’s Robson and Jim’s Icelandic Fishing Adventure in 2016 as he discussed his struggle with drugs and alcohol. “I was enjoying the awards, I was enjoying the parties, I was enjoying the drinking and everything else that went with fame,” he stated.
“But my relationships were a car crash. I started having real problems with fame and alcohol and drugs.”