Lucy Aston is a British actress known for her work in television and theatre. She appeared in several British shows during the 1980s and 1990s. Her best known credits include By the Sword Divided, Leaving, and Waiting for God. She also worked on Broadway in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Many people also know her as the first wife of British actor Martin Clunes. The pair married in 1990. They separated a few years later and completed their divorce in 1997.

Her marriage often gets more media attention than her acting work. Yet Aston had built her own screen career before the marriage. She played recurring characters and worked in both drama and comedy. Her career also took her from British television to a major Broadway production.

Quick Bio

Who Is Lucy Aston?

Lucy Aston is an actress who became active on British television in the early 1980s. Her screen work covered period drama, comedy, crime, and television films. IMDb lists her among the cast of several well known British productions from that period.

One of her earliest recorded screen roles came in Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective in 1981. She played Celia Norris in the television film. She also appeared in an episode of BBC2 Playhouse during the same period.

Her career grew during the following years. She gained larger parts in television series and later moved into stage work. She was already an established working actress before her marriage brought her into the celebrity press.

Aston has kept much of her personal background outside the public eye. Major entertainment databases focus on her acting credits rather than details about her childhood or family. This has helped her maintain a much more private image than her former husband.

Lucy Aston’s Acting Career Began Before Her Famous Marriage

Aston’s career developed during a busy period for British television drama. In 1983, she appeared as Clare Howard in three episodes of the courtroom series Crown Court. That same year brought two more important television roles.

She played Liz Bourne in The Boy Who Won the Pools. Records list her in nine episodes of the series in 1983. The role gave her more screen time than her earlier guest appearances.

She then joined the period drama By the Sword Divided. The series became one of the strongest credits of her acting career. She appeared in 17 episodes between 1983 and 1985.

These roles show that Aston was not simply known because of her later marriage. She had a clear professional identity of her own. Her acting work had already placed her in several British productions before she married Martin Clunes in 1990.

Lucy Aston in By the Sword Divided

One of Lucy Aston’s most recognizable roles was Lucinda Lacey in By the Sword Divided. The BBC historical drama followed families living through political and religious conflict in seventeenth century England.

Aston’s character was also credited as Lucinda Ferrar and Lady Lucinda Ferrar. IMDb records her appearance across 17 episodes from 1983 to 1985.

The role gave Aston a place within a large ensemble cast. Other performers included Julian Glover, Tim Bentinck, Rosalie Crutchley, and Peter Guinness. The long running role helped make her face familiar to viewers of British period television.

For modern audiences exploring her career, this remains an important starting point. It also shows the type of work that shaped her early acting years. She could handle a continuing dramatic role rather than only brief guest parts.

Leaving and Other Television Roles

Aston continued to find steady television work after By the Sword Divided. She played Gina Ford in the drama series Leaving between 1984 and 1985. Records credit her with ten episodes.

She appeared in C.A.T.S. Eyes as Beth in 1986. The series mixed crime, action, and espionage. It starred performers including Leslie Ash, Jill Gascoine, and Rosalyn Landor.

The same period also included smaller roles. She played a receptionist in the television film Maggie and appeared as a hotel receptionist in Call Me Mister.

These credits show the range of her television work. She moved between larger recurring characters and smaller supporting roles. That pattern was common for working British television actors of the era.

Lucy Aston’s Broadway Career

Aston also took her acting career beyond British television. In 1987, she appeared in the Broadway production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Music Box Theatre in New York.

The official Internet Broadway Database credits her as Émilie. She was also listed as an understudy for Cécile Volanges and La Présidente de Tourvel. The production ran on Broadway from April to September 1987.

The cast included major theatre names such as Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan. Christopher Hampton wrote the play from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos, while Howard Davies directed the production.

This Broadway credit adds an important part to Aston’s professional story. She was not limited to television work. She had experience in major theatre as well as British screen productions.

Waiting for God and the Role of Sarah Snow

Another major role came through the BBC sitcom Waiting for God. Aston played Sarah Snow, the niece of the sharp and independent Diana Trent, played by Stephanie Cole.

Records credit Aston with 12 episodes between 1990 and 1994. The sitcom also starred Graham Crowden, Daniel Hill, Janine Duvitski, and Andrew Tourell.

Sarah appeared across several stages of the programme. Aston was still playing the character during the fifth series in 1994. British Comedy Guide lists her as Sarah Snow in the episode broadcast on October 27 of that year.

Her work on the sitcom came during a major period in her private life. She married Clunes in 1990 and separated from him in 1993. Yet her appearances on Waiting for God continued after the separation.

How Did Lucy Aston Meet Martin Clunes?

Public coverage gives far more detail about the marriage itself than about the couple’s first meeting. What is firmly recorded is that Aston and Martin Clunes married in 1990. She became his first wife.

At that point, both were working actors. Clunes had appeared in television before the marriage, but his biggest breakthrough was still ahead. His career changed sharply when he joined Men Behaving Badly in 1992.

Aston also had an established acting record by then. She had worked in period drama, television films, sitcoms, and Broadway theatre. Their marriage therefore began as a relationship between two performers rather than between a celebrity and someone with no link to entertainment.

The public image of their relationship changed as Clunes became increasingly famous. Later reports described this period as one in which their lives and priorities began moving in different directions.

What Happened to Lucy Aston and Martin Clunes’ Marriage?

Aston and Clunes married in 1990 but separated in 1993. Their legal divorce was completed in 1997. Multiple sources record the same basic timeline.

Years later, Aston gave her own account of how the relationship broke down. She said tensions increased as Clunes became more successful and their social lives began to differ. She also said she had started studying to become a crisis counsellor rather than spending as much time going out.

According to Aston’s account, a disagreement during a meal became the final point in the relationship. She recalled leaving the restaurant and later removing her wedding ring. She said that both of them understood that their relationship had ended.

These details come from Aston’s later account and should be treated as her description of events. Clunes has spoken much less about the split. In an earlier interview, he described the marriage negatively but said little about its private details.

Martin Clunes After His Divorce From Lucy Aston

The divorce became final in 1997. That same year, Martin Clunes married television producer Philippa Braithwaite. She later became closely linked with his television work, including productions connected with Doc Martin.

Clunes and Braithwaite later had a daughter named Emily, born in 1999. They established their family life away from central London and became known for living in Dorset.

Clunes went on to become one of Britain’s best known television actors. Men Behaving Badly made him a major comedy name. Later, Doc Martin introduced him to another generation of viewers.

His growing fame also increased curiosity about his earlier marriage. As a result, Aston’s name often appears in searches about his first wife even though she had her own acting career long before his later success.

Lucy Aston After Her Divorce

Lucy Aston largely moved away from the level of public attention that surrounds major television celebrities. Her documented screen work becomes much less visible after the first half of the 1990s.

Her decision to maintain privacy means there is limited reliable information about her later personal life. She did not build a highly public celebrity brand around her past marriage. Her older acting work remains the clearest public record of her professional life.

That privacy can sometimes lead to poor information online. Details about her age, current family situation, later relationships, and finances are often repeated without strong sourcing. Such claims should not be treated as facts unless reliable records support them.

What can be documented is more useful. Aston had a television career that stretched across several respected British productions. She also earned a Broadway credit and held recurring roles before becoming widely discussed as Clunes’ former wife.

Lucy Aston’s Career and Public Legacy

Aston’s acting record may be shorter than that of some of her contemporaries, but it includes several notable productions. By the Sword Divided gave her a substantial dramatic role. Waiting for God showed her in a popular comedy setting.

Her Broadway work also matters. Appearing in Les Liaisons Dangereuses connected her with a production that featured Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan and received major recognition during its Broadway run.

Interest in her life is now split between two subjects. Some viewers remember her television characters, while others discover her through Martin Clunes. That second connection should not erase her own acting history.

Lucy Aston was an actress before she became a celebrity spouse. Her television and theatre credits offer a clearer view of her professional identity. They also explain why her name still appears in searches about classic British television.

Final Thoughts

Lucy Aston built a genuine acting career across television and theatre. Her work included Crown Court, The Boy Who Won the Pools, By the Sword Divided, Leaving, C.A.T.S. Eyes, and Waiting for God. She also performed on Broadway.

Her marriage to Martin Clunes began in 1990. The couple separated in 1993 and divorced in 1997. Their relationship later attracted media coverage because Clunes became one of Britain’s most recognizable television actors.

Yet Aston’s story is broader than that marriage. She had already worked for years as an actress and had appeared in major productions. In later life, she chose a far more private public profile.

That combination explains the continuing interest around her. She remains connected to a famous former husband, but her own acting record is an important part of her biography.

FAQs

Who is Lucy Aston?

Lucy Aston is a British actress known for television roles in By the Sword Divided, Leaving, and Waiting for God. She also appeared on Broadway in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. She later became widely known as the first wife of actor Martin Clunes.

Was Lucy Aston an actress?

Yes. She worked in British television during the 1980s and 1990s. Her credits include Lucinda Lacey in By the Sword Divided and Sarah Snow in Waiting for God. She also acted on Broadway in 1987.

When did Lucy Aston marry Martin Clunes?

She married Martin Clunes in 1990. They separated in 1993 and finalized their divorce in 1997. Aston was Clunes’ first wife.

Did Lucy Aston and Martin Clunes have children?

Reliable sources covering their marriage do not document children from their relationship. Clunes later had a daughter, Emily, with his second wife, Philippa Braithwaite.

What happened to Lucy Aston after the divorce?

She has maintained a low public profile compared with her former husband. Her later private life has not been covered in the same detail as her acting career or marriage. Most reliable public information about her focuses on her television and theatre work.