British comedian and TV star Jim Davidson has broken his silence on his new romance with Maria Rice-Mundy, just weeks after announcing that his planned sixth wedding to former partner Natasha had been called off.Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 72-year-old Big Break star claimed that he and Natasha, 49, actually ended their relationship for the final time around three months ago. According to Davidson, Natasha was the one who called time on their three-year relationship, which he described as turbulent and marked by repeated break-ups.Davidson is now dating Maria, 60, a former beauty pageant winner and television presenter who co-hosted Sale of the Century and Bob’s Your Uncle with the late Bob Monkhouse in the late 1980s.
Jim Davidson calls Maria ‘too good to be true’
Davidson revealed that Maria is not a recent acquaintance. The comedian said the pair have known each other for decades and have recently gone on several dinner dates while exploring their relationship.“Maria’s not a new lady. I’ve known her for years. In fact, I gatecrashed her wedding 30 years ago. She is too good to be true,” Davidson told the publication.Although he acknowledged that he is still coming to terms with his split from Natasha, Davidson said Maria has made a strong impression on him.“I’ll be honest, I am not short of ladies who want to date me but Maria has something special about her. She makes me feel like I’m not as useless as I’ve been made out to be,” he said.Davidson also insisted that he is not rushing into another marriage, explaining that he and Maria are currently seeing where their relationship goes.“Maria and I have had some dinners together and we are seeing how it goes,” he said.
‘I would just like to not be lonely’
The comedian was candid about his emotional state following the end of his relationship with Natasha, admitting that he has not completely moved on.“It takes a while to get over something like this,” Davidson said, adding that he “would just like to not be lonely.”He claimed that the relationship had been difficult for some time, saying the couple would repeatedly split and reconcile.“Natasha dumped me three months ago. She said I had given her no choice — but to be honest it was up and down and we would split up every month,” he said.Despite their separation, Davidson maintained that there is no animosity between them and said he would still support Natasha if she needed him.“If my ex Tash is ever in the s**t, she can call me and I’ll be there for her,” he said.
New romance comes weeks after sixth wedding was cancelled
Davidson announced in early September that his planned wedding to Natasha would no longer take place. The couple had been due to marry at Hampton Court, a venue that carried a deliberate reference to King Henry VIII and his six wives.The comedian had previously spoken enthusiastically about marrying Natasha for a sixth time, but later described their separation as a “grown up separation” and said there was “no bad blood” between them.He attributed their break-up partly to their conflicting schedules, saying they had struggled to make enough time for each other.The cancellation also reportedly left Davidson having to absorb a £10,000 deposit on the planned wedding.
Davidson and Maria have been dating for weeks
The new relationship emerged publicly after a source told the Daily Mail that Davidson and Maria had been dating for several weeks.According to the source, Davidson has already become strongly attracted to Maria and had shared a picture of her on Facebook. The pair have reportedly enjoyed several dinner dates, with the source describing Maria as “very giggly around him.”Maria, who is a mother of three, is also competing as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain Classic 2026 national final.
His relationship history and fifth divorce
Davidson’s romance with Natasha began in early 2024, following the breakdown of his 14-year marriage to Michelle Cotton.At Nigel Farage’s 60th birthday celebration at Boisdale’s in Canary Wharf, Davidson arrived with Natasha and openly spoke about his plans to marry her. At the time, he described himself as “completely smitten” and suggested he had finally found “the one.”He even renamed his £350,000 yacht Lady Natasha, after it had previously been named Princess Mitchie after his former wife.Davidson had earlier announced his divorce from Michelle in 2023 after around two decades together. The pair had married in 2009, and Davidson said at the time that he remained on good terms with her.Speaking about the end of that marriage, he said, “There you go, the divorce came through today, so it’s done. I’m divorced again, my fifth divorce.”He also said he planned to remain in contact with Michelle but found it too painful to see the dogs they had shared.
Davidson has been married five times
Davidson’s first marriage was to his childhood sweetheart Sue Walpole in 1971. They had a daughter, Sarah Walpole-Davidson, before divorcing a year later.He married Julie Gullick in 1981, and they had a son, Cameron. The couple divorced in 1986.In 1987, Davidson married journalist and television presenter Alison Holloway, but the marriage lasted less than two years.His fourth marriage came in 1990, when he married former Page 3 model Tracy Hilton. Their marriage lasted around a decade, and they had three children together – Charlie, Fred and Elsie.His fifth marriage was to Michelle Cotton in 2009. Following their separation, Davidson went on to begin his relationship with Natasha in 2024.
