Keith Lemon and his wife Jill have shared a rare glimpse into their family life and revealed their surprising confession when it comes to how they celebrate the festive season.
Speaking exclusively to HELLO! at the opening of Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, the Celebrity Juice presenter admitted that their family of four are big on starting the Christmas traditions early.
Keith, whose real name is Leigh Francis, admitted: “We’ve got our tree up already, and we’ve already started our Christmas movies. It’s exciting, we love Christmas.”
When it comes to their plans for the big day, Keith shared an insight into how he, Jill and their two daughters, Matilda and Dolly, spend Christmas. “We’ve got family to go to, mostly we just say to friends ‘Come round’,” he said.
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“On Christmas morning, [Jill] is always the first up, we open presents, have Christmas dinner, champagne, and our neighbour Helen comes over. We don’t leave the house! We always stay home because it’s the time to just spend it together.”
Asked about whether he’d be spending any time with his TV family, such as former colleagues and close friends like Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, the 50-year-old said: “I think people think [ITV] is a family but people spend time with their own families.
© Joseph Okpako“That’s the problem, having a lot of friends and finding the time because immediately family comes first and then it’s like trying to arrange dates.”
The Bo’ Selecta creator then revealed that after suffering a sad loss earlier in the year, the family were hoping for an extra special Christmas present this year. “Our dog died in August, she was 17,” Keith shared. “And I keep dreaming about a white chihuahua.”
Jill and Leigh married on 30 October 2002 at Allerton Castle in North Yorkshire, and have two children, 14-year-old Matilda and 12-year-old Dolly. He has previously hinted that the pair were childhood sweethearts. The family, who reside in north London, are notoriously private, with Leigh usually taking part in interviews under the guise of his alter-ego Keith Lemon.
Although the presenter generally prefers to keep his family life away from the spotlight, he has occasionally opened up about how his wife Jill is his “rock”.
© Dave BenettChatting previously to the Mail Online, Keith said: “Everyone thinks that we wake up and the comedy starts, but it’s not like that. She sees the real me, the grumpy me.”
He added: “She holds it together for in the family, Jill is an amazing woman. She does everything, she is the best. I love everything about her. She is so special and is a brilliant mum to our kids.”
