Inside Sarah Parish's family life with famous husband James Murray from first meeting to tragic baby loss

Sarah Parish is returning to our screens in new BBC drama Curfew, where she plays DI Pamela Green, an officer tasked with investigating a woman's death during a time where men are under a strict 7pm curfew in order to curb violence.

However, Sarah isn't the only actor in her family, as the 56-year-old is happily married to James Murray, who has starred in the likes of Primeval, The Crown and Masters of the Air.

We're taking a closer look at James and Sarah's romance, plus their family life in the country…

First meeting

Sarah first met James at a showbiz party before later working together on the BBC drama Cutting It, where they bonded over their shared "taste in music and literature."

During a 2019 interview with The Guardian, Sarah revealed that it wasn't exactly love at first sight for the pair of them. "I didn't like him much when I first met him and I don't think he liked me," she explained, "but we shared the same taste in music and literature and got on really well as mates, so it started the right way."

Prior to meeting James, Sarah had actually given up on the idea of marriage. She told The Mirror: "I was in my mid-30s and, yes, I thought marriage just wasn't going to happen. I wasn't panicking, I wasn't thinking, 'I must find a bloke'. I guess I had a sort of devil-may-care attitude to it all. If I meet somebody, great. If not, no worries."

It was only after the former co-stars had finished filming the BBC drama, Cutting It, that Sarah realised she'd developed feelings for James. "After I finished the show, I realised that I really missed him," she said.

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Marriage

After starting a relationship, they later married in a ceremony held in Hampshire, on 15 December 2007.

Joking about the preparations for their nuptials, Sarah admitted: "It's been a pretty stressful time. You do find yourself becoming Monica from Friends. I have a big file on everything, and I've become slightly anal about things. I know way too much about flowers and veils."

Children

A month after their wedding, Sarah and James announced that they were expecting their first child together. Their daughter, Ella-Jayne, was born in May 2008 but tragically passed away eight months later due to a congenital heart defect.

Both Sarah and James have spoken publicly about their loss, and in 2014, they launched the Murray Parish Trust, which seeks to "advance and enhance children's healthcare, including mental health, beyond that which is possible through NHS funding."

Speaking to the Evening Standard about their charity, Sarah explained: "Having been through that maelstrom of anxiety, the worst possible thing that could happen to a parent, you just want to know your child is getting the best possible shot at recovery and at life. When Ella-Jayne was in hospital we were surrounded by the best staff but you have to make sure they have facilities to match their expertise."

In May last year, Sarah remembered her late daughter on what would have been her 15th birthday. in the caption, the actress penned an emotional message: "Today you are 15. How lucky we are to have known you. Who knew such a little girl could make such a big difference. We love you, forever and always."

The couple later became parents to their second daughter, Nell, in November 2009.

Home life

Based in Winchester, the family loves nothing more than spending time outdoors at their country home. Speaking about why they decided to move away from London, Sarah told The Mirror: "We wanted a different life… he wants to go fishing, I want to potter around in the garden. That's what makes me happy."

Opening up about their love of the countryside, James told Alan Titchmarsh on Love Your Weekend back in 2021: "We've been in Hampshire for nearly 20 years. We moved to Herefordshire and I was just enchanted by rural life ever since and my wife Sarah was the same, and so we found Hampshire."