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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Saffron Otter

How Tipping Point host Ben Shephard met his wife, her job and her clash with his mum

Presenter Ben Shephard has charmed audiences on-screen for more than two decades - but most of us won't know anything about his personal life.

ITV viewers can catch the handsome presenter on Thursday and Friday mornings on Good Morning Britain, alongside Kate Garraway and Susanna Reid, as well as every weekday afternoon as the face of game show Tipping Point.

The much-loved host has an allegiance of adoring female fans, and just a few weeks ago, comedian Daisy May Cooper admitted her admiration for Shephard as she joined them on the GMB sofa.

But Ben was snapped up years ago, and has been married to his wife Annie Perks for 19 years after meeting her as a student.

While she keeps out of the public eye, Annie has actually had an impressive career of her own in the media.

Ben Shephard's wife Annie Perks has had an impressive media career of her own (Ben Shephard/Instagram)
Ben Shephard met his wife at university (Getty Images)

The Tipping Point presenter's wife has combined her passion for interior design with her talent for words with her own blog, The House Editor.

Before she became a mum, she had built a career writing for fashion and interior magazines, working for the likes of House & Garden, Glamour, Elle Deco, Elle and Red.

On her website, Annie writes: "For the last 15 years I’ve been raising our boys, knocking down and remodelling houses, building gardens out of mud-pits and running interiors projects.

"I've studied hard and taken excellent courses, so I’ve learned both the theory of design and I’ve also learned the hard way, by creating from the ground up, wellies on and spade in hand.

"After a few mistakes and a few more successes, my friends started to ask for help with their own interiors and gardens."

Currently, Annie helps people "create stylish, meaningful interiors and gardens that tell their story".

Ben and Annie met while they were university students and began dating in 1995 (Instagram)
Ben and Annie have two sons together (TXB)

Ben and Annie have been married for coming up to 19 years, having tied the knot in March 2004.

The pair met while they were both students at the University of Birmingham, where Perks studied philosophy and was head of the Philosophy & Epistemology Society.

They began dating in 1995 and married after nearly a decade together.

The couple, who have been together for 28 years, have two sons together, teenagers Jack and Sam.

They mainly keep their family life private, however, Ben does regularly share snaps of walks they like taking together.

On their wedding anniversary in 2020, Ben penned a sweet note to his wife on Instagram, saying: "Can't quite believe another year has gone past, suddenly this one feels all the more poignant because of what’s happening.

He presents Tipping Point every weekday at 4pm (ITV)

"16 years married to @mrsannieshephard 25 years together and it's fair to say the current climate is seriously testing the strength of her feelings towards me."

However Ben has revealed that his mum can come between them, with the way she treats him being a sticking point in their marriage.

When GMB co-host Kate started a debate last summer on whether mothers should stop pampering their sons, Ben admitted his wife's dislike for how his mum 'spoils' him.

But he argued that Annie does the same with their two boys.

He said: "My wife with my boys does look after them and spoils them and does everything for them and my mum probably does that for me.

"I know Annie gets annoyed about my mum and my relationship and me being spoiled by my mum and I can see it with her and our boys."

Do you have a story to share? Please get in touch at webfeatures@trinitymirror.com

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