He married Lisa Matthews, his partner of 22 years, in October 2015, half an hour before having a triple heart bypass operation, having learned only five days earlier that the operation was necessary. He needed special permission from the registrar, backed by a report from his consultant that he was "incredibly ill", to avoid the normal requirement to give 21 days' notice of marriage.

I was quite a shy boy. Growing up in Middlesbrough, I felt a bit of an outsider. My three elder brothers are funny and boisterous and I was in awe of them. I felt like an appendage. It's probably the curse of being a younger kid. I've seen some become the loudest because they fight for their place, and others retreat to the fringes. I was in the latter group.