When OK! sits down for a chat with comedian Francine Lewis, we’re not sure which one of her hilarious personas will be on the other end of the call. Will it be a take on reality queen Gemma Collins? Perhaps a version of Sharon Osbourne? Or maybe even her iconic Stacey Solomon... We certainly couldn’t wait to find out.
Francine first entered the world of entertainment in the late 90s on The Big Big Talent Show , presented by Jonathan Ross. She went on to have her own show on Capital FM and later starred on Channel 5 shows Night Fever and 5’s Company alongside Davina McCall and Claudia Winkleman.
But when the comedian stormed screens in 2013 on Britain’s Got Talent with her spot-on impressions of celebrities, she really hit it big. Francine not only had the nation laughing with her impersonations of Holly Willoughby, Katie Price and Cheryl Tweedy, she also had Simon Cowell instantly declaring her “a star”.
These days, the 48-year-old is still using her platform to spread joy. As OK ! is exclusively invited into her stunning five-bedroom family home – built in Cuffley, Hertfordshire, by her husband Joel Ryan – we couldn’t wait to hear what’s been going on since she shot to fame. “Life is very exciting at the moment,” Francine tells us. “I’m on cloud nine. After all, laughter is the best medicine.”
However, it was just two years ago that life came crashing down for the TV star, when she claimed that Joel, her husband of 22 years, had “cheated” on her.
Everything unravelled on live TV when, on GB News in April 2022, Francine accused Joel of betraying her. She said she was “devastated” after discovering the 45-year-old father of her two children – Brooke, 21, and Jake, 17 – had been messaging his best friend’s partner. Initially, Francine vowed she’d never go back to Joel. But now, as the comedian looks to the future, she’s revealed that not only is divorce firmly off the cards, that challenging period was a blessing in disguise.
“We went through a horrible time. But looking back, it was probably the best thing that happened to me,” Francine admits.
“I could have easily walked away but we’ve got something special, and that made us realise it. I know it sounds clichéd, but we’re stronger than ever now.”
Francine, who tied the knot with Joel in 2005, discovered the flirty messages that he had sent to his friend’s girlfriend. But her husband soon confirmed that he did not have an affair or cheat on his wife.
After that moment of despair, Francine was faced with a dilemma – walk away from her marriage, or fight to save the life they’d created together.
“When you’ve been married for a long time, I think you do become very complacent and things change. Maybe that was the case for both of us. For a good period of my life, I was just ‘kids, kids, kids’ and maybe I wasn’t putting enough effort in either,” she sighs.
“Joel has taken full responsibility for what happened. He was a broken man and was on the floor begging me at one point. But he’s never, ever, put the blame on me.
“It wasn’t an affair – I don’t know if I could have forgiven him if it was, and I did think it was one at the time – but sending a message isn’t enough for me to end my loving marriage. He did everything he could to win me back.”
Even years down the line, it seems that Joel is still “grafting” to win her back – but it’s the simple things that mean the most to Francine.
“He’ll send me a funny GIF on WhatsApp, or tag me in a post on Instagram. It doesn’t sound like much but I know then he’s thinking of me,” she explains. “We also do date nights a lot more regularly and go on romantic holidays together. It feels like we’ve just met again.”
“I didn’t make things easy for him though,” she laughs. “His bank balance took a beating, that’s for sure!”
Looking back on her darkest moments, Francine admits that things were “put into perspective” when Joel sadly lost his mum in March 2023. And talking about the couple’s rocky patch also helped her to get over it.
“It was really liberating,” she explains. “I never understood before why people would speak about things going wrong in their marriage and air their ‘dirty laundry’, but I get it now that I’ve been in that position.
“I didn’t want people speculating and I also didn’t want to bottle it all up. People messaged me afterwards to say it helped them, as they were going through something similar. Plus, it made me feel more of a real person. I wear a lot of wigs and hid behind celebrities for a living, and I think this made people see me as an actual person. Nobody’s life is perfect.”
As Francine firmly closes the door on that chapter of her life, she’s ready to go back to Britain’s Got Talent .
Francine is now making a return to the ITV show – 11 years after reaching the final – taking part in BGT Reacts , an official spin-off from the current series which sees former contestants reacting to new hopefuls.
“It’s sort of like Gogglebox ,” Francine laughs.
“It’s so much fun because you never know who is going to walk out on that stage. Britain’s Got Talent brings back so many amazing memories for me – it was the best thing I ever did.”
She adds, “The judges were so lovely too. I’ve messaged Amanda [Holden] a few times since the show and have bumped into Simon [Cowell] at a couple of events. I was sad to see David [Walliams] leave – I really miss him on the show. Bruno [Tonioli] had some pretty big shoes to fill there.”
But it turns out that absence certainly does make the heart grow fonder, as Francine has reached out to David following her latest career venture.
“I’m writing a children’s book at the moment and David has given me such incredible advice. He’s been amazing,” she says.
“I was inspired by my own kids because reading a bedtime story to them was always our favourite thing to do together when they were growing up.
“I’m working on the book with an illustrator called Tim Stead and it focuses on mental health, but in a way kids will understand. It’s about three siblings who are mice. One of them wants to audition for Britain’s Got Talent and the other two film her performance. But when they upload it online, they get all these awful comments. The book will look at how to deal with something like that and the impact devices, such as phones or iPads, can have on children.”
Speaking of social media pressures, Francine believes it’s important to raise awareness of the dangers. Although she says she’s been “fortunate” when it comes to trolling, she does occasionally get “horrible” comments.
“On the whole, I’ve been very lucky on social media. There is the odd message but when I get DMs from people to say I’ve made them laugh or brighten their day, it makes everything worth it.”
Francine is also mindful that, while her impressions (her favourite one to do is The GC) are there to make people laugh, she knows she may have offended the odd celeb over the years. “Whenever I impersonate them, I’m really paying a compliment. I’m not doing it to insult them but I know some of them don’t like it. There’s one person in particular that doesn’t… but I won’t name names.
“You’ve just got to take the rough with the smooth.”
As if being a mum, taking on a new role on Britain’s Got Talent and launching a children’s book wasn’t enough, 2024 is also the year Francine is looking to go on tour with a one-woman show. “It obviously would have been perfect timing after Britain’s Got Talent in 2013, but I didn’t want to leave my kids. They were still young and I didn’t think it would be fair on them to go off and leave them for months.
“I’ve always been a hands-on mum, but now my kids are getting older, I think it’s the perfect time for me to put myself and my career first.”
BGT Reacts is available to stream now on ITVX
