The BBC‘s favourite posh single mum is back with a bang this Christmas Day, with a festive episode of Amandaland starring Lucy Punch, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders.
The Absolutely Fabulous alumni reunite on the Motherland spin-off, which this Christmas sees Amanda and her family head to Aunt Joan’s (Jennifer Saunders) country home.
At the press launch, held at London’s BFI Southbank in December, Lucy reflected on her role, saying: “Comedically, I love Amanda when playing her vanity and smugness, but particularly now on Amandaland, she’s so relentless and determined and there’s always something to win and lose and the stakes are really high for her for everything. She’s incredibly charged and tense, and I enjoy playing that.”
While you may know the ins and outs of Amanda’s life post-divorce in London’s South Harlesden, or SoHa, you may be wondering what Lucy Punch’s life is like behind the cameras. While Lucy likes to keep her personal life under wraps, here’s everything we know about the London-born actress…
Lucy Punch’s early beginnings
Lucy, 47, was born in West London’s Hammersmith to parents Johanna and Michael Punch, who were both market research executives. After attending Godolphin and Latymer School, a private institution also attended by TV presenter Davina McCall and TV chef Nigella Lawson, Lucy went on to study history at University College London. However, she dropped out of her degree to pursue a career in acting, and went on to perform at the National Youth Theatre in the 1990s.
Lucy Punch’s acting credits
Lucy’s debut acting role came in 1998 when she appeared as Queen Stephanie in an episode of The New Adventures of Robin Hood. She later went on to feature in TV shows including Let Them Eat Cake, Midsomer Murders, Doc Martin and Poirot, as well as films such as Ella Enchanted, Hot Fuzz, St Trinian’s, Bad Teacher and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.
Lucy has received multiple nominations for her acting over the years, including winning a Best Actress Award for her turn in Are You Ready for Love? at the Monaco International Film Festival and a Best Ensemble Award in a Motion Picture in 2015 for being part of the movie musical Into the Woods.
© Alamy Stock PhotoWho is Lucy Punch’s partner?
While Lucy tends to keep her personal life out of the public eye, she is reportedly in a relationship with artist Konstantinos “Dinos” Chapman.
Originally from London, Dinos, 63, was one half of the famous British visual art duo The Chapman Brothers alongside his brother Jake. The pair parted ways in 2022 and Dinos now works solo. In 2022, he told The Guardian: “Nothing about our practice was amicable. It was never a love-in. It was always tinged with a certain seething disdain for each other so I guess at some point that reached critical mass, and we decided to go our separate ways.”
Dinos and Lucy reportedly met in Hollywood, where they later settled permanently with their two sons, whose names they have not publicly shared.
© Patrick McMullan via Getty ImageReflecting on how they balance their busy schedules, Lucy told The Times: “We don’t have normal jobs so we can, in a very mismanaged, chaotic way, divide up childcare.”
Speaking of making a home in Laurel Canyon, in LA, she continued: “I’ve always got one foot out the door, wherever I am. I never got round to getting a green card. I’m on these rolling visas, which is ridiculous. I have a home there and I have two American children. But I can’t commit to anywhere. I get itchy feet. I like being a little bit here and a little bit there.”
Like many residents in LA, Lucy and her family had to evacuate their home in January due to the wildfires that made their way through the city. In February, the actress told The Independent how one of her sons acted as if they’d been on holiday because of how much fun they’d had on a trip away.
“Meanwhile, we’d been looking at our phones going ‘help’ and crying,” said Lucy. “It’s such a small window when you’re a kid, so I’m just trying to make it magical until they’re confirmed with teenagerdom and the reality of life.”
The Amandaland Christmas Special airs on iPlayer and BBC One from 9.15pm on 25 December.
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