Mathew Horne, the actor from Gavin and Stacey, has revealed how devastated he was when a former girlfriend was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately passed away.
Gavin and Stacey star Mathew Horne has spoken out about how his former girlfriend died after being diagnosed with leukaemia. The actor is known for his role as Gavin Shipman in the hit BBC comedy drama and has opened up about how he dealt with the tragedy in what he referred to as a “very, very sad time”
In a heartbreakingly honest conversation with broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, 77, Mathew, 47, described his ex as an “amazing girl.”
Appearing on the Boxing Day episode of Gyles’ Rosebud podcast, Mathew explained how he went through a “very difficult” time when the unnamed woman was diagnosed with the disease.
He told the This Morning presenter: “She was a very very dear friend. It wasn’t like a sort of lustful passionate union like it was with the school relationship. It was quite an interesting one. We were really close friends and everybody thought that we should be together, and eventually we did.”
The woman’s death after her diagnosis was then explained by him. He declared, “She sadly passed away. She passed away in January 2004 after being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2003.
He continued, “Very sad. At the time she passed, we weren’t strictly together. Although we had been separated for about a year, there was still a connection, it is obvious. It was a very challenging time.
Leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, affects bone marrow cells by attacking the immune system. The body produces too many abnormal white blood cells, which hinders the body’s ability to defend itself from infection.
Mathew and his wife Celina Bassili, who he married in 2021, rekindled their romance. In her native country of Norway, the couple tied the knot in a heartfelt ceremony.
They were seen posing in an adorable image from the ceremony where they embraced at the Oslo based mansion where they got hitched, with the couple sharing the picture with their fans on Instagram.
Mathew previously popped the question to Casualty actress Evelyn Hoskins in 2018, with the duo enjoying a short engagement. However, just one year later he was seen kissing Celina after they had worked together on the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special in 2019.
In Wales, the two were spotted together outside a Burger King. During the same podcast, he mentioned his wife and said, “It became very obvious that she was the one.” About a year before my mother passed away, I met her.
Celina remained by my side throughout what was a truly terrible time until I lost my mother. My love for her grew and grew as our relationship progressed. I just knew from that moment on that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
