Vera star Brenda Blethyn’s major change with husband she’ll ‘probably regret’

Brenda Blethyn will say goodbye to DCI Vera Stanhope in January. The end of an era, after 14 years, the actress is stepping away, and her husband, Michael Mayhew, couldn’t be more supportive. 

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The couple – who met in 1975 – are well-accustomed to Brenda’s demanding filming schedule but after almost 15 years, the actress is looking to spend more time with her family. 

“Michael’s face lit up when I told him [I was going to quit]. I could tell he was kind of pleased I might be around a bit more, though he wouldn’t have imposed that on me,” Brenda, 78, told Saga Magazine. 

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Noting that she’d “probably regret the decision soon,” the TV legend explained that the programme requires her to spend six months of the year away from home, which had inspired her to hang up her bucket hat and badge. 

Brenda and Michael, the former head of graphic design at the National Theatre, reside in Kent and own a second property in London. During production on Vera, however, the actress would travel to the north east, shooting around Newcastle upon Tyne and throughout Northumberland. 

“I’ve got a family at home and I realised I hadn’t had a summer for 14 years with my family,” Brenda recalled. 

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Asked for the secret to her almost 50-year relationship, the 78-year-old made a rare comment about their life together. “Two bathrooms. Two different rooms with a television too, so you can watch whatever you want. No arguments. You don’t want someone rabbiting on while you’re engrossed in an episode of Vera do you?” she joked. 

Brenda and Michael may have met in 1975, but it wasn’t until 2010 that they tied the knot. Little is known about their wedding. Brenda has spoken about their decision to not have children, however. 

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“Once in a blue moon I’ve wished I had but it’s been so fleeting that it’s not been a bother to me. The things I wish I had done I’ve done, wherever possible,” she told the Daily Mail. 

Reflecting on her life with Michael, the TV star explained that they get on so well because they both appreciate each other’s independence. “I genuinely think it’s about having our own space,” Brenda declared. 

“We have a place on the coast in my hometown of Ramsgate in Kent, and even when we’re there we sit in separate rooms, Michael with his music in one, me with my crossword in another. We have so little in common but the relationship obviously works. Michael makes me laugh like nobody else does, and I think he likes me for my honesty and my kindness.” 

Together, Michael and Brenda share an adorable cockapoo named Jack, and with the conclusion of Vera, she’ll be able to spend time with her beloved dog, too.