Midsomer Murders star Fiona Dolman's home life: from 13-year marriage to surprise pregnancy
Fiona Dolman is known and loved for her portrayal of Sarah Barnaby in ITV's long-running crime drama, Midsomer Murders, which follows DCI John Barnaby as he tackles puzzling crimes in the titular county.
Since making a name for herself playing Jackie Bradley in the police series Heartbeat in 1998, the Scottish actress has starred in various TV series, including The Royal Today, Doctors and The Syndicate. But how much do you know about her life off-screen? Keep reading for more on her marriage and split from director Martin Curry and her surprise pregnancy at 42.
Fiona's marriage and split from director Martin Curry
For 13 years, Fiona was married to assistant director Martin Curry, who's worked on various major films and TV shows, including A Haunting in Venice, The Sandman and Masters of The Air.
The couple decided to go their separate ways in 2011 after the relationship had "run its course".
Opening up about the split in 2013, Fiona told HELLO!: "We'd known each other for 15 years and married for 13 of those. There was no nastiness, just the realisation that you want something to work but it just doesn't and it's run its course - and that's terribly sad."
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Fiona's 'brief fling' and surprise pregnancy
After her split from Martin, Fiona fell pregnant during a brief relationship with a younger man.
"At 42 it was something I'd given up on really - with our marriage ending I wouldn't have planned on having a child," the actress told HELLO! in 2013. "You do the calculations and think: 'Right, well, that's an avenue that's kind of closed for me and that's ok. Then life had a different plan."
Sharing her plans to raise her daughter as a single mum, Fiona said: "It's obviously quite daunting to start this journey unplanned and on your own."
"Separating from my husband, I felt the chance of being a mum had kind of gone," explained Fiona, who suffered a string of miscarriages during her marriage to Martin. "It's a terrible grief when you think that's something that you so wanted to happen never will for you. Then this happens and, yes it's not perfect, but you can't treat it as anything other than a gift. It feels like fate - I'm lucky, so, so lucky," said the star.
Fiona welcomed her daughter Madeleine Charlotte in July 2013.
The arrival of her little girl was a huge delight for Fiona. "Things might not be perfect but from the moment I held Madeleine in my arms we felt like a team," she told HELLO!. "I can't describe it, but I just look at her and think I don't remember life before and we'll just be absolutely fine."
Madeleine turned 11 in July this year and Fiona marked her daughter's birthday with a sweet post on social media. "Happy 11th birthday my beauty! May you always be able to keep finding the joy in your precious life," penned the mum-of-one.
Fiona's life away from acting
When she's not busy filming Midsomer Murders, Fiona can be found at home in Kent with her daughter Madeleine and their adorable cats, Ollie and Willow.
While acting may be considered Fiona's primary passion, she's also a "proud" ambassador for Hospice UK and Greenfingers Charity, which builds hospice gardens for children.
In 2019, Fiona ran the London Marathon in memory of her father Gordan, who was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2014 and sadly passed away in January 2019. Fiona managed to raise over £7,000 for Hospice UK.
Remembering her dad on Father's Day in June, Fiona shared a sweet photo from her childhood showing her and her father happily swimming in a lake. "Happy #FathersDay to all you wonderful dads who make time," she penned in the caption. "Hours of lessons (with secretly, slowly deflated armbands!) resulted in a lifelong love of swimming, pure joy and an unbreakable bond.
"Special love to everyone missing their dad today. Miss you every day, darling dad," she added.
