Steve Coogan is best known for his alter-ego Alan Partridge but the comedian has had a long and successful career despite facing turbulence behind the scenes in his private life
How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) star Steve Coogan has long been known as quirky alter-ego Alan Partridge.
The popular comedian has enjoyed a hugely successful career in film and television having appeared in big name productions including Philomena, Stan and Ollie, The Reckoning Around the World in 80 Days, Tropic Thunder, The Trip and Saxondale. Steve, 59, has often made headlines for his personal life having dated a string of models, renowned actresses and singers.
Now he has opened up about how he is set to become a grandfather after a turbulent past that saw battle through cocaine addiction and a series of failed relationships. He revealed the news on Tuesday while appearing on The Louis Theroux Podcast.
Speaking of his love life he said, “I’ve not been hugely successful. I was married a long time ago. I have a stepson and a daughter, and I’m soon to be a grandfather, and all that stuff gives me great satisfaction. Having those relationships in my life are the most important relationships in my life.”
Steve shares his only child, Clare, 29, a chef, with his ex, solicitor Anna Cole. Clare is in a relationship with BAFTA-winning actor Jamie Demetriou, 37, who played Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s love interest in Fleabag.
Steve was born on October 14, 1965, and grew up in Alkrington in Rochdale where he gained 4 A-levels: English Literature, British Government and Politics, Art, and General Studies.
He began his acting and comedy career working as a voice artist for television advertisements and the hit satirical puppet show Spitting Image. He also performed in sketch shows and at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
He then created his iconic character, Alan Partridge, as a parody of British sports presenters while working on Radio 4 comedy On the Hour. The character had a number of shows including Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, I’m Alan Partridge, Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge, Alan Partridge’s Scissored Isle, This Time with Alan Partridge.
He also had his own feature film, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, and is back on our screens in How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), which is currently airing. The 2000s saw Steve transition into films and more dramatic roles, including 24 Hour Party People and played Octavius, a miniature Roman general figure in the Night at the Museum trilogy.
He famously worked alongside Rob Brydon for the partially improvised BBC2 sitcom The Trip and subsequent series and films. He also worked as a writer and producer in Philomena and Stan & Ollie.
His more recent roles include playing Jimmy Savile in the BBC One series The Reckoning, Paddy Meyers in Joker: Folie à Deux and The Lost King.
In 2002, Steve married British socialite Caroline Hickman, but the pair divorced in 2005, with Hickman saying the marriage had irretrievably broken down. The same year as his divorce was granted, he had a brief two-week fling with Hole singer Courtney Love, who was married to Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain.
In 2021, Love called the rendezvous “one of my life’s great shames” on social media. In the post, the musician criticised her solo record America’s Sweetheart, writing, “Like Steve Coogan, or crack, it’s one of my life’s great shames.”
Asked about the romance claims, he once said, “Some of it was true, most of it was b*****ks. To borrow the title of the film, it was 20 per cent c***, and 80 per cent bull.”
Beyond Courtney Love, Steve has had a number of high-profile relationships. He dated actress and restaurant heiress China Chow between 2008 and 2011, model Elle Basey between 2011 and 2014 and Melanie Sykes in 2018 and 2019.
Steve’s daughter, Clare Coogan Cole, previously worked in administration and later campaigned for former deputy leader of the Labour Party Lord Tom Watson for three years. She has also played minor roles in her father’s projects, including Saxondale, Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge, and The Alan Partridge podcast.
Clare walso worked as a Production Assistant at Rag Doll TV Ltd, a TV company that produces children’s programmes.
Steve lives in the quiet village of Barcombe within the Lewes District of East Sussex. The picturesque East Sussex village sits cosily upon the South Downs, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
He is well known for his love of cars, becoming something of a motoring enthusiast over the years. As well as a swimming pool and tennis court, his mansion is believed to have plenty of space for an array of cars, including a selection of Ferraris.
Before moving to Barcombe, Steve lived in Ovingdean on the outskirts of Brighton. The property he resided in is famous in its own right – Ovingdean Grange.
The country mansion has two main claims to fame: while known for being Steve’s home of Steve, it also famously featured in a well-known novel. The author William Ainsworth, a friend of Charles Dickens, wrote the novel Ovingdean Grange: A Tale Of The South Downs in 1857.
Steve paid £2.45 million for the Grade II listed house in 2011, and lived there for around six years before listing it for sale for £3.5 million. The six-bedroom house is made up of three floors and comes with a courtyard garden, a cinema room, and a billiard room.
