The secret to Ruby Wax’s ‘unconventional’ 33-year marriage to English public school boy Ed – and how her children are following in the funnywoman’s footsteps

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She’s gaining popularity with a new group of fans after appearing on the show I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! in Australia.

The 72-year-old American-British comedian has been very open on the show, talking about everything from a decreased libido and having used Botox, to jokingly wishing she was a lesbian while speaking with her fellow contestants.

Although she’s sometimes seen playfully interacting with Aitch and AngryGinge when she’s not on trial, the celebrity has actually been happily married to Edward Richard Morrison Bye for 33 years.

Ruby describes her marriage as unique, and believes that spending time apart is actually key to its success. She says it’s good for a couple to have their own space and not be constantly together.

The famously outspoken comedian, originally from Chicago, married Ed, a reserved and classically-educated Englishman, in 1988. They were quite different from each other.

She and her partner first connected in 1985 while she was working on the show Girls On Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. Together, they had three children: Max, who is 7, and daughters Madeleine, 35, and Marina, 32.

Ed’s father, Francis Clifford Edward Bye, was a Colonel in the Royal Marines and received an OBE. Ed himself went to Mount House School, a public school in Tavistock, Devon, in the late 1960s.

He went on to study at Ravensbourne University London, a university specializing in digital media and design. They offer practical courses in areas like television and broadcasting, as well as many other creative fields.

Ruby’s current husband, Ed, is her third. She’s playfully suggested that her first two marriages were simply a way for her or her husbands to obtain work permits.

She was married twice: first to Andrew Porter from 1976 to 1980, and then to Trevor Walton from 1981 to 1986.

The actor started a relationship with Ed, a British film and TV producer and director, after they first connected while collaborating on the sitcom Girls On Top.

He directed episodes of the sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf and has also directed popular shows like Bottom, The Vicar of Dibley, French and Saunders, and My Family.

Locally, he contributed to several of his wife Ruby’s shows, such as Don’t Miss Wax, The Full Wax, and Ruby.

Their relationship actually had a rocky beginning – Ed shared that Ruby initially wanted him fired after they first met.

She explained that she only had one egg remaining, and it was late in the day. Dawn French then mentioned that the person she was referring to was available. As time passed, she found herself increasingly drawn to him, especially given the limited resource of that single egg.

Having experienced a difficult childhood, Ruby once explained that she learned from her own upbringing what not to do as a parent, and as a result, her children are well-adjusted.

My children are the first in our family to grow up with a typical life, and that means a lot to me. I also married Ed because he’s a genuinely normal person.

He always knows how to make me laugh, which is the best feeling. He’s really brought stability and happiness into my life. I chose him deliberately, because he’s absolutely the perfect partner for me.

I handle the practical side of things, while he’s the emotional support for the kids. He’s incredibly patient with my constant reminders and actually finds humor in it – most other people wouldn’t tolerate it!

In an article she wrote for The Sydney Morning Herald in April, she recalled meeting Ed Bye in 1988 and not anticipating it would lead to a lasting marriage.

I proposed to Ed, telling him I was free on a specific date and suggesting when we could get married. I also claimed I had lots of other suitors, but that wasn’t true.

Ruby has shared that a key to her strong relationships is having time to herself, believing it’s beneficial for couples to maintain their individual space.

In 2021, the celebrity explained why she spent time apart from her husband, following a period where they were largely separated during lockdown.

During the initial lockdown, she isolated herself in a small cabin in the countryside, separate from her and her partner’s London residence. She also explained that she doesn’t typically communicate much through texts or phone calls.

She recently told the Sunday Telegraph that while some people might find it strange she was separated from her husband for a while, it’s actually something they’ve experienced before in their 33 years together.

I’ve traveled a lot for work, and I’m not great at staying in touch by phone or text, so both my partner and I are accustomed to it. I actually believe having some independence is good for a relationship.

In 2021, she described their relationship to The Sun’s Fabulous Magazine as ‘unconventional’.

She clarified that they each have their own separate friend groups and interests, and she doesn’t expect them to align. They also both understand that their jobs are different.

We have a good relationship even though we lead separate lives with different interests and careers, and that works for us. We respect each other’s boundaries, and I’m happy with how things are – I don’t need to change my identity to fit a traditional role.

Ruby openly discussed her experiences with sex during her appearance on ‘I’m A Celebrity,’ explaining that the desire for intimacy often diminishes after menopause.

Fellow campmate Lisa Riley asked: ‘What do you do when the man feels funky?’ 

‘Tell him to f**k off or that you have herpes,’ Ruby joked, adding it was ‘liberating’,

Ed has also stood firmly by Ruby’s side amid her well-publicised battle with clinical depression. 

Ruby explained that she didn’t have a single moment of realization that helped her deal with her mental health struggles. She admitted there were times when she felt incredibly overwhelmed, fluctuating between wanting to focus on small self-care tasks and feeling hopeless.

I’ll never forget hearing about how she found mindfulness and cognitive therapy during a really tough time. She actually told the story of Ed taking her, still in her pajamas, from the Priory to a mindfulness course. It was such a turning point for her, and honestly, a really inspiring moment to hear about.

Ruby explained that Ed would often collect her from the Priory. She’d quickly throw a coat on over her pajamas, and people would compliment her bravery. He then took her to a four-week mindfulness course.

I had a breakthrough around the eighth week. It wasn’t a sudden revelation, but I finally had an idea, and the underlying science became really fascinating.

She stepped away from the entertainment industry and, in 2013, earned a master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy from Oxford University’s Kellogg College.

Even after stepping away from the entertainment world, her daughters, Maddy and Marina, have both found success as actresses and performers.

The sisters have been featured on major television programs and host their own comedy podcast, Siblings Comedy.

Maddy, the oldest daughter, handles the podcast’s public relations. She’s also a comedy producer for Impatient Productions, a small but award-winning company that creates radio, podcasts, and live and online comedy shows.

Marina established herself as a prominent actress with her role as Pandora Henry in the Prime Video film The Girlfriend, where she acted alongside Olivia Cooke, known for House of the Dragon, and American actor Robin Wright.

She’s also been in the movie Wonka, the Hulu series We Were The Lucky Ones, and the show Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Maddy appeared in the shows Coming Of Age and Pulped: Bad Tech, and had a small part in the short film Quiet Life.

After earning five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, the duo will be taking their show, Dreamweavers, on tour next year.

In a 2017 interview with The Guardian, Ruby happily shared that her daughter Maddy is a comedian and Marina is an actress.

Maddy and Marina recently launched a comedy show called Siblings, and I’m happy to support it because they’re genuinely funny.

‘When they are all round for dinner they make [brother] Max laugh so much he cries.’

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2025-11-29 14:39