Midsomer Murders' John Nettles talks marriage split reason and 'best friend' daughter
Midsomer Murders legend John Nettles has opened up about his first marriage as well as the special bond he has with his daughter.
Midsomer Murders returns to TV
Midsomer Murders star John Nettles may have retired from showbusiness but fans are still curious to know all there is about his life.
The 80-year-old left a lasting impression on ITV viewers as DCI Tom Barnaby in Midsomer Murders during his 14-year stint on the show before making his exit in 2011.
Prior to the crime drama, Nettles landed his big breakthrough role in Bergerac in 1981 but had struggled with his career prior to landing the titular part.
He had married his first wife Joyce Middleton in 1967 and welcomed their daughter Emma but the pair went on to divorce in 1979.
Nettles admitted that it was his “arrogant” behaviour which had impacted their relationship and contributed to the breakdown of the marriage.
"I was bloody arrogant - what you might call a big head," he explained to The Mirror.
"Until I was asked to play Bergerac, I'd become gloomy and despondent about my future prospects as an actor.
“In the end, I wasn't nearly as attentive towards Joyce as I should have been. It's part and parcel of this business."
He then went on to tie the knot with Cathryn Sealey years later in 1995 with the husband and wife duo still happily married.
Despite the end of his romance with Joyce, she and John remained friends with the former even working as a casting director on Midsomer Murders.
John also is very close to their daughter Emma, 54, telling Express.co.uk in 2015: "My best friend is my daughter Emma, next to my wife Cath, of course.
“I have a legion of friends and the best ones are my immediate family, which is very clichéd but true."
Emma resides in Jersey, where Bergerac was filmed, with her husband and their two children.
While she is very private, it is known that she was inadvertently inspired by her dad’s career portraying a TV detective as she now works for the Jersey police.
According to The Telegraph, she works as a data protection officer and is leading the Scottish Government’s inquiry into the use of mobile messaging apps during the coronavirus pandemic.
Midsomer Murders is available to watch on ITV and ITVX.
