Comedian Rufus Hound has married his actress girlfriend Sally Hodgkiss after three years together, six years following his separation from his former wife Beth Johnson.
The 47-year-old actor and stand-up comic revealed the marriage on the social media platform Bluesky by sharing a photograph of a countdown calendar for his wedding day, which he had modified to show that the event had already taken place.
Hound captioned the post by asking his followers: "Everyone have a good weekend?"
The TV personality found love with the 42-year-old actress following the end of his marriage to Johnson in 2020. Hound is a well-known comedian and presenter in the UK, while Hodgkiss is an accomplished stage performer and television actress.
Stage Proposal in London
Hound first announced his engagement to Hodgkiss in 2024 after popping the question to her live on stage during a theatrical performance.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, at the time, Hound shared details of their relationship: "In the past two years @sallyhodgkiss has redefined how completely loved or seen I ever believed someone could make me feel. We talk and nourish each other in a way that's almost unbelievable to me. Last night, I asked her to marry me."
Describing the proposal, Hound explained that they were participating in an annual marathon improvised comedy performance at a historic London theatre venue: "We were privileged enough to take part in @theimprovathon @WiltonMusicHall, a show in which brilliant, erudite, playful, thoughtful, beautiful, sleep deprived people spoke repeatedly of love, commitment, joy and demonstrated the awesome magic that comes when such people do so."
The Improvathon is a long-running unscripted theatrical event where performers stage a continuous narrative over dozens of hours. Wilton's Music Hall, located in East London, is one of the oldest surviving grand music halls in the world.
Hound recounted the exact moment he decided to propose as Hodgkiss finished her performance: "Sally walked down for her final bow. As she spoke - a poetic, magnificent final flourish - the universe seemed to scream at me that the time - bizarre as it might be- had come."
He continued: "As the crowd applauded her, I took to the stage beside her. Wordlessly, I mimed that I was unlikely to be able to speak, as I was totally overwhelmed."
Hound described dropping to one knee before the audience: "Then I dropped to one knee and she looked confused - this would be an odd twist for the characters we'd been playing (siblings as they were). It was only when I spoke her name she realised what was happening. Some people took pictures."
He added: "She said yes. My kids are f**king delighted, my ex congratulated me on the news, my parents are beside themselves and my best friend Steve contacted a special Wedding Robot for validation."
Hound concluded his post by writing: "Anyway, as foolhardy as it feels attempting to be giddily happy in public is (without it being because migrant boats are being sunk or kid refugee centres have had the murals removed) I am. We are. Everything is better with her. She's magic. And soon, I'll be her husband."
Romance and Public Tributes
News of the relationship between Hound and Hodgkiss first came to light last June, when Hound took to Twitter to speak about his new love after splitting from his wife Beth Johnson, declaring at the time that "nobody has ever loved me as much as her."
Sharing a series of photographs from their trip to the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, Hound posted a glowing tribute on social media.
Hound wrote: "No-one has ever loved me as much as this woman and the best bit is she's all things wonderful."
He added: "It's a blessing to be her boyfriend and she is my absolute best person that I didn't make."
Hound further expressed his joy, writing: "She makes everything fun and good all the time. She's sunshine and snogging and smiling all at once. It was the BEST time."
Glastonbury Festival is one of the world's most famous outdoor music and performing arts festivals, held annually near Pilton in Somerset. Sally Hodgkiss, who was performing stand-up comedy at the festival, also shared her feelings, stating that Hound was the "best person" she had ever met.
Hodgkiss is a comedy actor, writer, and improviser who appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2019. She played the character Steph, who worked as a waitress at the Walford East restaurant in the fictional borough of Walford. In addition to her soap role, she has appeared in an episode of the long-running BBC medical drama Casualty and in numerous stage productions across the UK.
Marriage to Beth Johnson
Hound was previously married to Beth Johnson. The couple wed in 2007 during a ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada, and were together for 13 years before eventually splitting in 2020. They share two children together, son Alby and daughter Hilda.
In October 2020, Hound shared a poignant post on social media addressing their separation, claiming that he and his estranged wife "will always remain best friends" despite parting ways.
Speaking in an official statement at the time, Hound said: "In April, Beth and I made the sad decision to end our marriage."
He added: "We will always have much love and respect for each other. Even though we are separated we will always remain best friends."
Hound concluded the statement by affirming their commitment to their children: "as always, our family will remain our number one priority".
Television Career and Dancing On Ice
Hound's personal milestones follow high-profile television appearances, including his participation on the ITV reality competition Dancing On Ice in 2021, where celebrities pair with professional figure skaters to perform live routines.
During his time on Dancing On Ice, there were public calls for Hound to be axed from the show after historic social media posts featuring racist and homophobic slurs resurfaced online.
The Sun reported at the time that old tweets from the star had emerged. In tweets from 2011, Hound used the word "r****d", while in 2012 tweets he referred to singer Ed Sheeran as a "gay lord" and used racist slurs including the n-word.
According to reports at the time, ITV officials made it clear to Hound that he would not be removed from the broadcast lineup following the revelation of the old messages.
A source claimed to The Sun website that ITV was exhibiting double standards when compared with the 2017 axing of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! contestant Jack Maynard, who was removed from the jungle reality show after similar historic tweets using racist and homophobic slurs were uncovered.
A source told the website: "Dancing On Ice have made their position clear and while Rufus's tweets have been quietly condemned, right now it's not being seen as an offence which would require his removal."
The source added: "It seems there is one rule for some, and one for another. After Jack was taken off I'm A Celebrity for the same kind of tweets, it was assumed that Rufus would be told he should step down. But it's been made clear to those working on the show that they're standing by him."
Although ITV decided against removing him over the controversy, Hound was eventually forced to quit Dancing On Ice after testing positive for Covid-19.
