Jonathan Ross and his wife Jane Goldman made a rare public appearance together Monday at the opening-night gala of the West End musical The Producers at the Garrick Theatre.
Ross, 64, and Goldman, 55, posed on the red carpet before the performance, holding official programmes as they entered the theatre. Goldman wore a nude-coloured crochet dress with brown heeled boots and wore her hair down in loose curls; Ross opted for black suit trousers, a checkered jacket and black-and-white trainers.
The pair joined a number of well-known figures from British entertainment at the gala. Those photographed on the red carpet included Dame Joan Collins, Martin Freeman and his wife Lara Lewington, Alison Steadman, Maureen Lipman, Dame Kelly Holmes, Martin Lewis, Angela Griffin, Charlie Brooks, Michelle Collins, Bonnie Langford, Paul Sinha, Su Pollard and Good Morning Britain’s entertainment reporter Richard Arnold.
Less than a week after winning a National Television Award for her role in Gavin & Stacey, Alison Steadman attended the opening night, and several performers and television personalities took advantage of the star-studded event to mark the West End premiere.
Goldman, a screenwriter, author and producer, has co-written screenplays including Kingsman: The Secret Service and X-Men: First Class, and completed her first solo screenplay with the 2012 film The Woman in Black. She and Ross met when she was 16 at a promotional event while working as a young showbusiness journalist; they married in 1988 and have three children — Betty Kitten, Harvey Kirby and Honey Kinney.
Speaking previously about their early days together, Goldman told The Times that Ross had just started his talk show at the time and that she could not recall the details of their first conversation. Ross has described their relationship in colourful terms in interviews, and the couple have been public about their long marriage of more than 35 years.
Ross has also spoken candidly about his personal grooming habits. In an interview on the Parenting Hell podcast last year he said he did not place much importance on grooming, that he resented having to shower and that both he and Goldman sometimes went extended periods without bathing. He told the podcast he once went about two weeks without properly showering while on holiday in Florida because he believed spending time in a swimming pool would suffice.
The Producers, a satirical musical originally written by Mel Brooks, has attracted interest on its West End return, drawing theatregoers and industry figures to the Garrick for its gala performance. The opening-night turnout reflected a cross-section of British television and stage talent, underscoring the show’s profile in the current season of West End theatre.