Scottish actor Mark Bonnar is one of the cast of the UK’s first-ever series of Celebrity Traitors. Mark previously admitted that it is hard for him to be apart from his family while on set
Mark Bonnar has landed standout roles in Shetland, Line of Duty, Guilt, and is now taking on a completely new challenge with The Celebrity Traitors.
But away from the cameras, the Scottish actor enjoys a quieter life with his wife, actress Lucy Gaskell, and their two children. The couple have been together for over two decades, after meeting in 2003 while appearing in a stage production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.
They went on to get married four years later, in December 2007. Lucy, 44, is well known to TV audiences in her own right. She has starred in several hit British dramas including Cutting It, Casualty, Being Human, Waking the Dead, DCI Banks and even Doctor Who.
Fans of the BBC medical series may remember that both Lucy and Mark have appeared on Casualty, though at different times.
While on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast in 2023, Mark reflected fondly on their marriage, sharing: “It was our 15-year wedding anniversary [in] December. I couldn’t believe it was 15 years we were celebrating because I’m still filled with love when I look at her, you know, which is a wonderful thing to feel.”
He continued: “She’s really kind of taught me a lot about life and about love and care and commitment.” The couple share two children — Martha, 13, and Samuel, nine.
Family life clearly means a lot to Mark. He has spoken about his parenting philosophy, explaining: “[Having kids] was late in the day for me. I met Lucy when I was in my mid-30s and we had eight years before we had children.
“My parents always said to me: ‘If you’re happy, we’re happy,’ and I’m going to try to do the same with my kids. As a parent, your children’s happiness is the most important thing.”
On a sadder note, he added: “I don’t like being away from home. I need to be with my family… because I miss it. Even if you’re away for like four or five days, you still get back and think there’s little changes you can see… and you go… ‘I missed that.’”
Although it was likely tough for Mark to spend a few weeks away from his kids while in Ardross Castle, he was also enormously excited by the prospect of taking on The Celebrity Traitors.
Ahead of filming, he told the BBC: “I was thrilled to be asked, to be honest with you. I’m a fan of the show. It’s one of the few things that we watch as a family.”
He admitted that the reality series is “way out my comfort zone” but insisted that was one of the reasons he wanted to star in it, as he likes to challenge himself with new roles.
The actor also joked: “I’ve got a terrible memory. I’m worried that I’m going to forget a lot or not catch some things. That means I have to work hard on not being gullible if evil masterminds try to sway me! I’m hoping it’ll be fun.”
His poor memory left him hoping he would be chosen as one of the Faithfuls as he felt being a Traitor might be too hard for his “wee brain”, and thankfully his wish has been fulfilled — at least so far.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
