Clare Balding has opened up on her 24 years of marriage and praised wife Alice for helping her be true to herself before revealing the secret to a successful marriage
Clare Balding has revealed the role her wife played in helping her be true to herself before they tied the knot 24 years ago. And the presenter, 55, also shared why she thinks their relationship continues to work over two decades on.
The sports broadcaster met journalist Alice, 63, in 1999. The duo were at a BBC event, but Clare didn’t give off the best first impressions. Instead, she admits Alice saw her as a “cocky little upstart”.
Claire revealed her wife initially thought she was “rude” and gave her a list of reasons why they would never work. One big stumbling block, Clare says, was the presenter’s decision to not have publicly came out as gay at the time.
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While her loved ones were aware, Clare hadn’t opened up to colleagues. Clare said she “didn’t want to be judged negatively”.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Clare said: “I grew up in an era where it was very difficult to be proud of being a lesbian. You were conditioned to be ashamed of it.’
But the confidence of Alice – as well as a relationship ultimatum – led to Clare making a decision to share her true self with the world.
In 2003, Clare decided to share her sexuality with the world. Three years later she entered a civil partnership with Alice.
And in 2015, a year after same-sex marriages were legalised, Clare and Alice tied the knot officially. With the pair still going from strength to strength – and also appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox – Clare has revealed what she feels is the secret to their success.
“Apart from being incredibly happy, we’ve made each other stronger,” she said, explaining “communication” is key in their household.
Last month, Clare made a telling comment about brother Andrew‘s feats as he looks to end 2026 as Champion Trainer. Andrew is high in the running for the flat season award in horse racing after a difficult year, in which he’s suffered two major heartbreaks.
Clare and Andrew both lost their father, legendary horsetrainer Ian, in January when he died at the age of 87. He didn’t get to see Andrew’s achievements this season, with his son currently vying for the lead in the Champion Trainer stakes.
“Dad hadn’t really known what was going on for the past few years,” Andrew told The Times. “So in that sense, I don’t feel he’s missed out on this season.”
But Clare said she was proud of her brother. “I’m deeply impressed by him, and as his older sister, that takes some doing,” she said.
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