Actress Joanna Page, 49, and her husband, actor James Thornton, 50, have revealed a disagreement over their family's future residence, with Page expressing a strong desire to move to Spain.
During an episode of their podcast, "Lush!", Page shared her wish for their family, which includes four children, to reside in Mallorca. The couple had recently returned from a holiday on the island, which apparently fueled Page's aspiration. "I now want to move to Spain," Page stated. "I say it every year."
Thornton acknowledged her recurring sentiment, noting, "Yes every time we go away." However, he expressed more practical reservations about uprooting their lives. Page countered his concerns by questioning what was preventing the move. "Why can't we just go come on, let's up sticks. What's holding you back? We're all going to die one day. Let's just all move to Mallorca," she urged.
Thornton raised questions about the logistics of Page's potential work commitments, asking, "You'd have to travel back here to work?" Page responded that her filming schedule, often involving short, three-day stints, would not necessitate extended absences. "It's not like I'd have to come for a couple of months. It's not a regular sort of [thing], I'd just be nipping back and forth," she explained.
Thornton suggested this arrangement would mean he would be left alone with the children for significant periods. "I'd just be on my own with all the kids while you're off staying in a hotel," he said. "I think you like the idea of it all, but I'm more practical about it."
Page expressed frustration with what she perceived as Thornton's limitations on experiences. "This is where we're different, and how I can't believe that for the whole of your life you've put a limit on your experiences," she stated. She later elaborated, "You have got a limit on your experiences, and you've just decided you will never move to Spain or somewhere. And I don't know how you could have decided that for the rest of your life."
Despite the disagreement, the couple concluded the discussion with laughter. Page jokingly threatened, "I'm going to move to Spain without you." Thornton responded in kind, humorously suggesting he would establish a life in a neighboring village, "Growing olives and making wine, eating meats and cheeses."
Page also touched upon the dynamics of their long-term relationship, which has spanned 26 years and resulted in four children: Eva, 13, Kitt, 11, Noah, nine, and Boe, four. She admitted that marriage requires consistent effort and that their relationship has not always been smooth sailing. "It's not always going to be wonderful, it's going to be pretty rubbish, and sometimes, you end up hating each other, you get bored of each other, they will really annoy you, and suddenly it will be wonderful again," she shared.
She described their differences as her "manic, impulsive and fiery" nature contrasting with his "Northern, measured" temperament, leading to arguments but also a shared growth path. "We have massive arguments, but we have grown on the same path. We bicker all the time, we're not all lovey dovey," she said.
Page also shared insights into maintaining intimacy, suggesting that in the quiet moments when children are at school or nursery, she and Thornton prioritize quick intimate encounters. "We will turn to each other and say, 'let's just try and grab five minutes, let's quickly have some wild abandoned sex,' and then maybe we'll have lunch at the local pub," she revealed. She reflected that despite the challenges and occasional separate sleeping arrangements, their shared core values and goals have allowed them to grow together.