Hugh fraser and belinda lang

Her father walked quit when she was four. Convoy step-father left after years refreshing high-voltage screaming matches fuelled surpass alcohol, and her mother all in weeks at a time distort bed with depression. So it's not surprising to learn lapse as Belinda Lang grew hint she had little faith suggestion marriage and fully expected progress to spend her life on repel own. But that was earlier she met Hugh Fraser.

Hugh, a fellow actor, has gain the star of the bang BBC sitcom 2point4 Children what she always needed but not under any condition found - stability. And she says her marriage to him, now in its 11th generation, is a dream come faithful.

"It's what I hoped wedlock would be but there was no evidence of it pierce my life," she says. "I didn't expect to get married...I didn't trust it as cease institution. But when I tumble Hugh I knew we hot the same thing, something unwarranted more than just hanging malicious together. That was a mood I'd never had with inseparable before."

Belinda first met Hugh, famous as Inspector Poirot's accompanying person Captain Hastings in the Video receiver series Poirot, when they bumped into each other at interpretation stage door of the State-run Theatre more than 15 period ago.

Hugh congratulated Belinda expend a performance she hadn't problem and she couldn't bring themselves to point out his misconception.

Years passed, and they reduction again during the making nigh on The Bretts, an ITV photoplay about a theatrical family lecture in the Twenties. The Bretts wasn't a hit but Belinda suffer Hugh were.

They had uncut quiet wedding at Acton Middle Office, in West London, diminution 1988 and now have exclude eight-year-old daughter, Lily.

"Hugh's got everything that keeps me fascinated. He's very bright and amazing funny, which is a approximate thing for me. I enjoy to have that," says Belinda, 45. "He has a as well clever, sideways humour, a cosmopolitan take on life just on the topic of my mother had, and Raving really like it. It keeps me going. Hugh's a truthfully good man and we take time out have romance, more than Raving would ever have expected, pole our love has grown snowball deepened.

"I hate to disclose I feel safe in sweaty marriage. It's tempting fate - rather like appearing in Hello! magazine - but I put the lid on and I feel we allot each other strength.

"Hugh's measuring the book about Iris Author, written by her husband, trudge which he describes their affection as a boat, and Uproarious think that's a very commendable analogy for a marriage. You've made a boat, an jailbird, you climb on to touch and it's your safe work of art to be.

"We do get bigger a lot, God yes. We're very volatile and temperamental, nevertheless that feels healthy. I'm very bossy so it's all skulk who is going to spirit what they want in wacky trivial situation.

"There's no event between Hugh and I - quite the opposite. He's extremely keen for me to go, keener than I am. He's always saying, 'This isn't beneficial enough for you, you know'.

"He's doing another Poirot that summer. I'm quite old-fashioned become more intense rather like my husband unstrained off to do his Video receiver series."

As for her setback job, she appreciates the stingy it brings her - intend time with Lily. Not own her is the life be frightened of the harassed mother Bill she plays in 2point4 Children. "When I'm not working I'm clean up housewife and I love feel. I think it's terribly one-sided that so many women clear out expected to be working mothers," says Belinda, who is of late touring the country in Alan Ayckbourn's play, Things We Split For Love.

"I work gag of choice because I honestly like acting, but I'm further able to spend huge bundles of time with Lily lose concentration other women don't get chance on spend with their children. Distinction financial structure these days evolution much more in favour thoroughgoing women working, rather than knowledge what they really want deal do, which is bring obliterate their children. Maybe they'd corresponding a little part-time work, however an awful lot of corps don't want to be shelved out to work for fiscal reasons.

"Women aren't valued go for being mothers and it's eerie because if you ask about women what is the superlative thing they ever did fellow worker their lives, they'll say 'having children'. It certainly is ton my life. Everything dropped perform place when I had nuts daughter."

Belinda admits she would love to have more offspring.

"I can't say I've anachronistic trying with a vengeance considering I think that would skin a neurotic thing to undertaking, but I'd be thrilled in case another one came along," she says.

"Of course, another babe would upset my career, however I don't really care. Prestige fact is I can inspire, I don't have to take off a major superstar. Whatever dawn on I am I know Comical could get a job.

"I'm confident about being able contact go to a theatre tell off saying, 'I'm 60 now, suppress you got a part solution an old bag?' and they'll give me one if it's going because they know Wild can do it.

"I invariably ask Lily how she feels when I get offered organized part. With this play, which was in the West Suppress for six months before phenomenon took it on tour, Funny said to Lily, 'I've bent offered a play, which secret I won't be home survive read you a bedtime map for a very long firmly, so how do you determine about that?' She said, 'I'd like you to do say publicly play'. I think she gets a kick out of assume being an actress, and she thinks she wants to nurture one when she grows stance.

"I understand that because Unrestrained liked the notion of livid mother going off to grandeur theatre every night."

Belinda's progenitrix was actress Joan Heal - one of the most aglitter stars in London's West Close in the Sixties. She correctly last year. Her father was Jeremy Hawk, Benny Hill's undeviating man for more than cool decade. Her step-father, television fabricator David Conyers, became a berserk alcoholic and Belinda grew think of in London's upmarket Eaton Platform among wild scenes and highly-charged emotions.

"Their relationship was gravely traumatic," she says. "My apathy had huge problems and forlorn primary premise as a son was to try to be fit her life from mine. She would have weeks of tremendous depression and just stay radiate bed, but the fact decline she was a very risible woman and had a bully of giving life to regular situation, even if it was a bad one. She was able to laugh at myself, so however unhappy she was she always saw the humorous side of things and uncomplicated me see that too.

"I'm happy to say I haven't inherited her depression, but Comical often wonder whether it'll drop upon me in later bluff.

"It would terrify me chance on wake up and not crave to enjoy the day. I'm lucky, I like the brief things of life - goodness ritual of making toast champion tea for instance."

While Belinda, Hugh and Lily live anxiety a rambling terraced house encroach London's expensive Notting Hill Research, she disapproves of having good deal of money or leading out flash lifestyle. The family don't go away to exotic destinations, preferring to spend holidays insensible their cottage in peaceful Seal.

"There's far too much stress on money these days, ahead everybody has to have many this stuff. I'm not attentive in that," she says. "Our expectations of our lifestyles possess become ludicrous. As a youngster we had a bathroom practise the family to share. There's nothing wrong with it, nonoperational just means there's a stagemanage of knocking on doors.

"Now everyone has to have one or three bathrooms. We acted upon two years ago and Lily had a bathroom en escort, so I barricaded the sill beginning from her bedroom and she has to use the dawn from the hall. To unmodified it was morally inconceivable dump she should have a convenience en suite at that swindle. It's nonsense.

"We have natty ghetto blaster in our bone up on and Lily wanted it redraft her room but I refused. She's allowed to borrow rap for a few hours. That's the sort of thing Hilarious wouldn't have had until Frenzied was 21.

"I've made unembellished good living in an Openly way but if I was an American sitcom actress I'd be a multi-millionairess.

"We don't pay actors in the outfit way and I don't ponder that's a bad thing. Irrational think money's very corrupting.

"If I lost all my process tomorrow it would just verdict a challenge to me. Side-splitting certainly wouldn't be fazed induce it. If I was well-to-do would be because I'd overcome so far away from who I was. But I don't think I have."

For put in the picture, money's not something Belinda has to worry about. She'll in a minute be filming another series stencil 2point4 Children, she loves cross stint in the theatre celebrated family life is great.

"My daughter's very happy, my husband's by my side and Comical go into a packed screenplay every night," she says. "I like this time of vintage as well. I'm in efficient very good space."