Star of Sherwood Lesley Manville has enjoyed a career in acting for over four decades but has managed to keep her love life – including a marriage to her Hollywood A-lister ex-husband – pretty under wraps.

The talented actress is known for roles in Emmerdale, Mum and The Crown. She is also expected to star in the shows Grotesquerie and Disclaimer later this year. Tonight (August 25), she will renew her role of Julie Jackson for the second series of Sherwood.

Lesley has married twice (Credit: Splashnews.com)
Lesley Manville love life: Blue Peter star Peter Duncan

While completing her acting training, Lesley dated Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan.

The pair met at the Italia Conti stage school when she was 16. In 2015, she recalls laying eyes on Peter for the first time in music class.

“He was cherubic, with a sweet face and gorgeous curly hair; dreamy. I thought, he won’t want to go out with me, as I was quite plain,” she told The Independent.

The pair began to date and remained together for five years. “We’d often go off on adventures together. We had a holiday in Cyprus, sleeping underneath the stars, and went to France. He always used to tease me, as I like cakes, so once, in France, he brought me a great big gateau and said: ‘I’m just going to take a picture of you with it.’ He shoved it in my face and took a picture,” Lesley continued.

She insisted their split was “amicable” split and have remained friends. “We were too close and had known each other for too long for him not to be a part of my life. And now I’m so glad that he’s my oldest friend,” Lesley said.

Peter and Lorraine dated for five years (Credit: YouTube)
Lesley started a family with Gary Oldman

Lesley was married to fellow actor Gary Oldman from 1987 until 1990. The pair met when they were both working on The Firm. They welcomed a son, Alfie, but split when he was a three-month-old baby.

The reason for their divorce is unknown, however, reports suggest Gary ended his relationship with Lesley to be with Uma Thurman.

In 2018, Lesley and Gary were nominated at the Oscars. While Lesley didn’t take home her award for Best Supporting Actress that night, Gary picked up Best Actor. In an interview for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Lesley stated she wasn’t bitter about his win.

“Of course, everyone wants the story that I’m sour-faced about it. But I’m not remotely sour-faced. Listen, we have a child together, we’re a very successful family… he’s got a new wife, and we all get on. Everyone gets on,” she said.

“So it’s all fine. So we’ve had a delightful night. His sons from his other partner and my son are all very close, so it’s a family evening.

And that’s what it’s felt like. And Gary and I are friends, so it’s been very good and been very nice for our son, I think,” Lesley added.

Gary and Lesley share a son together (Credit: YouTube)
Lesley’s second husband Joe Dixon

Lesley got remarried to singer and actor Joe Dixon in 2000. They met while working on the drama series Holding On in 1997.

Lesley and Joe got divorced in 2004. In 2007, Lesley told The Guardian that she was happy being a single parent. “I am divorced now.

I have done a lot of being a single parent on either side of my second marriage. But I am happier now than ever,” she explained.

‘I have a very sexy phone list’

During an interview with i Newspaper in 2020, Lesley revealed that she is single. That said, she did look back on her marriage to Gary.

“Oh, I mean, there are always what ifs. What if Gary and I had stayed together? Deep down I probably long for the kind of 30-year relationship that some of my friends have, the kind where you know no one’s going anywhere because, well, why would they?

But maybe if I’d had that I couldn’t have been the mother I think I’ve been or had the career I’ve had,” she said.

With a credible acting career that is still going strong, Lesley said that she has “honestly worked with some of the greatest directors in the world. I’m in an incredible place in my career”. In her own words, she revealed she has “a very sexy phone list”.