Charles Dance Admits His Marriage of 34 Years Ended Due to 'Succumbing to Temptations'

Charles Dance is opening up about his love life.

The 77-year-old Game of Thrones actor said his marriage of 34 years ended after he “succumbed to some temptations.”

In a podcast interview with Gyles Brandreth on the Rosebud podcast, he spoke about the dissolution of his marriage to Joanna Haythorn.

Keep reading to find out more…

“For the most part it was a wonderful marriage,” he said.

“But then, unfortunately, I succumbed to some temptations along the way and the marriage ended because of my behaviour really.”

The couple, who have one son and a daughter, married in 1970. They remained married until he was forced to “come clean” about his indiscretion, which led to their separation in 2004.

“We were living in Somerset, in this enormous place, and Jo had her study at one end and I had mine at the other end, and we became a bit like George and Martha [in] Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? really after a while,” he explained.

“Eventually I came back and I thought, ‘Really, we have to have [a] very serious conversation’. And I had to come clean and it came as a shock to Jo, bless her,” he said, adding there was “no justification” for his behavior.

“I don’t want to be seen to be scrabbling around for excuses. I never thought of myself as attractive. I really didn’t. [It] wasn’t until I did The Jewel In The Crown years later and people talked about me as being ‘the thinking woman’s crumpet,’” he said.

“I always felt very grateful if girls behaved as if they were attracted to me. But there is no justification for it, you know.”

“So, the marriage came to an end – huge regret. But after about 18 months, Jo and I, thankfully, became the best of friends, and we remain so, thank God,” he added.

“Oh my goodness, the benefit of hindsight. It took me a long time to learn the law of cause and effect.”

He is in a relationship with Italian star Alessandra Masi now.

Listen to the episode…

See some of the most shocking cheating scandals to come from Bravo.