Lenny Henry and Dawn French split up after 25 years of marriage

Lenny Henry and Dawn French have separated after 25 years of marriage, their spokesman said yesterday. In a statement, the comics' PR representative Neil Reading said the couple made the decision six months ago, but had continued to live together in "constant discussion". Reading said the couple's split is "entirely amicable". Henry, 51, and French, 52, met in 1981 when Henry was an established star of BBC1's Three Of A Kind and French was part of the alternative comedy scene at the Comic Strip club in London. They married in 1984 and settled in Reading, Berkshire, adopting their daughter Billie in 1991. The couple had been seen as one of the most durable in the entertainment industry, although French wrote in her autobiography of how the marriage was "buffeted by a tornado" after a newspaper published details of the relationship in 1999. "Lenny Henry and Dawn French are sad to announce they have decided to separate after 25 years of marriage," said the statement. "They made the decision last October and since then have been living together in constant, open and honest discussion. The separation is entirely amicable and they fully intend to maintain their close friendship. "Their priority is to commit to the future joint parenting of their daughter. They ask that the media respects the privacy of their family. "No further comment will be made."