Loose Women star Janet Street-Porter, 79, took viewers well and truly by surprise today, announcing that she is married.
This marks the famously outspoken broadcaster’s fifth marriage, having tied the knot with Peter Spanton in Great Yarmouth last Saturday.
‘I finally did it,’ she joked. ‘I saved the best til last.’
A smiley photo taken on their day and shared with Metro shows that Janet decided against traditional white attire for the low-key celebration, wearing a vibrant printed dress to contrast her new husband’s black suit.
Janet and former restaurateur and entrepreneur Peter, who founded Peter Spanton Drinks, have known one another for 27 years, but they largely keep their romance out of the public eye.
Nevertheless, her ITV co-stars were thrilled, with Brenda Edwards particularly overjoyed for the couple after they submitted a video message to confirm their news during Monday’s episode, standing alongside their dog Badger.
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‘Congratulations, Janet!’, she squealed while clapping, admitting: ‘That’s got me quite emotional. I love that.’
She then urged Kaye Adams to ‘stop counting the numbers’, referring to Janet’s previous four husbands, as her ‘happiness’ is what matters.
‘She looks content, radiant, and happy,’ added Kaye.
After the clip made its way online, fans were also keen to congratulate the pair, declaring it ‘fantastic news’ for them.
‘I hope the three of you will be very happy ❤️🙌’, wrote @triciabennett on the Loose Women Instagram page.
‘Congratulations to you all, you make a smashing family ❤️💙🐕’, added @kath.green.96.
Coleen Nolan soon appeared too, commenting: ‘OMG I’m so so happy for you both . Huge congratulations ❤️❤️’
‘Absolutely wonderful news Janet – enormous congratulations 🥂 x x’, added Ranvir Singh.
Who has Janet Street Porter been married to before?
Born Janet Bull, Janet’s first husband was Tim Street-Porter, to whom she was married from 1968 to 1975, during which time she’s confessed to having multiple affairs.
In 1975, she wed publisher Tony Elliott, and they remained married until 1977.
However, neither of their hearts was in it from the off, it seems, as Janet said she regretted exchanging vows right after the ceremony.
‘I turned to him and said, “Well, that was a mistake,” within 24 hours [of marrying], and he said, “I agree”,’ she previously revealed.
‘I said, “We were such great friends, exactly the same age; why on earth did we get married?”‘
Then, in 1979, she married Canadian filmmaker Frank Cvitanovich, but they divorced in 1981.
She and Frank wed in Las Vegas, which she also believes was a ‘mistake’ and a manifestation of her ‘midlife crisis’.
‘I thought, “I don’t know why I’m saying the words ‘I do,’ but I’m just saying ‘I do’,” then I was back in the hotel, and I was like, “Ugh”,’ she has shared.
Her fourth husband was David Sorkin, whose marriage to her lasted from 1997 to 1999. David was 22 years her junior, whom she married when she was 50.
They had only known each other for a short time before travelling across America together, which only resulted in a string of arguments.
In 1999, she met Peter, and they’ve been together since.
Speaking previously about her string of marriages, Janet told The Guardian: ‘I’ve been married four times and lived with a lot of blokes – I know how men’s minds work.
‘What have all the men I’ve been with got in common? They’re all pathetically grateful.’
Despite her remarks, there’s still a sentimental soul inside her, as Janet has said on Loose Women that she’s still got all her wedding rings and engagement rings.
The sharp-tongued journalist does not have children, which she says there is ‘no stigma’ in, as she ‘doesn’t miss’ motherhood.
She’s said that ‘only two out of [her] eight former partners have had children’, and many of her friends are childless.
Joking that ‘men are far more demanding’ than kids, she admitted that she’s ‘certainly enjoyed the dramas and the delights of their company’ over the years in a column for The Independent.
‘I wouldn’t swap a smart man for a toddler or a goldfish.’
