Ben Shephard, the 51-year-old host of This Morning, shares insights into his marriage with wife Annie, noting that she thrives in her own company after more than two decades together. The couple, parents to sons Sam, 21, and Jack, 19, maintains a private family life, but Shephard recently discussed their independent lifestyles while promoting his new ITV challenge show, The Summit.
Differing Approaches to Downtime
Shephard highlights the contrast in how he and Annie spend their time. While he pursues active hobbies like jogging and golf, Annie focuses on her work in garden and interior design and prefers quieter pursuits such as visiting art galleries and gardens. “We do live quite separate lives,” Shephard explains. “I’m off working, she has her job. If I’ve got spare time, I want to do something physical.”
Despite these differences, Shephard emphasizes Annie’s central role in their family. He describes her as “much more solitary than me” and quotes her frequent request: “She’s much happier in her own company. Half the time she’s like, ‘I need a bit of space. Can you leave me alone for five seconds, please?'” The couple aims to find shared activities as their sons grow more independent, with Shephard viewing this transition as “really exciting.”
Embracing the Empty Nest
As Jack prepares for travels after working as a teaching assistant and Sam studies mathematics at university, the household grows quieter. Shephard notes the imminent shift to empty-nester status, which brings both challenges and opportunities for the couple to explore new interests together.
This candid reflection follows an emotional moment on This Morning, where Shephard grew tearful discussing Jack’s 19th birthday. Responding to co-host Cat Deeley’s question about Annie’s feelings, he shared a nostalgic memory: “They had a big party, but it’s that moment where… a friend of ours messaged us saying that 19 years ago, Annie held Jack in her arms for the first time. It was quite a moment, like… ‘Wow, he’s got so big so fast!'”
