Billie Piper Reveals the Surprising Truth Behind Her Whirlwind Marriage to Chris Evans
Ever had one of those relationships that, in hindsight, felt a little like an extended open-bar wedding with your weirdest uncle on the dance floor? Well, Billie Piper did—and she married him, too (no offense, Chris Evans). She was 18, brimming with pop stardom, when she fell into the orbit of Radio 2’s irrepressible ginger, and before anyone could say “no, not that Chris Evans,” she’d proposed in Vegas after fewer birthdays than the number of martinis at their reception. Sure, their six-year marriage looked like a tabloid fever dream—nearly twice her age, wildly different worlds, and a glow-stick-lit honeymoon that apparently lasted two years. But how does a union built on quirks, camaraderie, and enough booze to stun a horse come to an amicable end? Heck, maybe we’re just asking the wrong question: Is “drunk with an old man” the secret sauce for a friendship divorce you can actually laugh about later? Dive in, because love (and hangovers) can be pretty enlightening. LEARN MORE
Billie Piper previously explained why her marriage to radio DJ and presenter Chris Evans broke down after six years, after previously describing their relationship as being drunk with an ‘old man’.
The Doctor Who star first crossed paths with Radio 2 presenter Evans – no, not that Chris Evans – at the age of 18 after she appeared on his TV show TFI Friday in 2000 during her singing career.
Despite 35-year-old Evans being close to twice her age at the time, the pair soon hit things off and married a year later in Las Vegas, after Piper proposed to him on his birthday.
The relationship would come crashing down when the pair separated five years after first meeting, later finalising their divorce in 2007.
So, what caused the couple to go their separate ways?
Billie Piper and Chris Evans tied the knot in 2001, when she was just 18 (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
Piper opened up about the demise of her marriage in 2005, following confirmation of the couple’s separation, in an interview with Michael Parkinson, saying the union hit a rough patch when she decided she wanted to pursue a career as an actor.
“We got to the point where we both wanted different things,” Piper explained.
Going on to label herself as ‘really ambitious’, Piper explained that she was determined to pursue acting, which meant the couple would be spending extended periods of time apart after spending the early stages of their relationship living in each other’s pockets.
“When we first met we were inseparable,” she explained. “We spent every day together, we went on a honeymoon for about two years, we just had the greatest time.
“And then suddenly to not see somebody everyday, it was just quite sad.”
Piper went on to add that Evans remained supportive of her career, even if it meant the end of their relationship, adding: “He didn’t want to be the person who said ‘babe please I don’t want you to do it’. He doesn’t want to hold me back.”
Despite separating in 2005, with their divorce later finalised in 2007, the former couple remained friends (Jody Cortes/Getty Images)
Fortunately, the couple were able to divorce amicably and remain on good terms with each other. “It’s weird because there’s no bad feelings at all,” she added.
“We still get on so, so well.”
Relations appear to have remained cordial with the pair in the years since, with Piper previously joking that her marriage to Evans was five years being ‘drunk with an old man’.
“Loved that time. Learned so much,” she said of their relationship. “Really needed it, after the experiences that I’d had, leading up to that point.
“I felt like I’d actually found a real friend. I guess meeting someone who had experienced [fame] for 20 years, at that level, it was very nurturing. And also very drunken, which I needed. I had a lot of fun during those years.”
Following the divorce, Piper tied-the-knot with ex-actor Laurence Fox in December 2007, later divorcing in 2016.
She was also in a relationship with musician Johnny Lloyd from 2016 to 2023. The couple welcomed a daughter in 2019.
The pair have since spoken positively about each other in the media (MEGA/GC Images)
Meanwhile, Evans has been married to golf columnist Natasha Shishmanian since 2007, with Piper even attending the couple’s wedding, and have four children together.
He has previously been in relationships with Carol McGiffin, Geri Halliwell and Alison Ward, whom he welcomed a daughter with in 1986.
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