Award-winning actress Anna Maxwell Martin will be the Guest Announcer on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and the actress has shot to fame with her impressive roles in Line of Duty, Motherland, and Poppy Shakespeare. Alongside this successful career, Anna was also married to notable film director, Roger Michell and has spoken about the hostile environment in the industry in the past.
Anna was married to Notting Hill director Roger for 16 years before they split in 2020. The former couple met in 2003 when Roger cast Anna in his National Theatre production of the Australian play Honour.
They began dating in 2004 and Roger cast her alongside Daniel Craig in the psychological thriller Enduring Love and despite Roger not showing any romantic interest at first, Anna had her heart set on him. The couple married and had two daughters together Maggie and Nancy.
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Roger already had two children together from his first marriage to the actress Kate Buffery and in 2020 Anna very candidly revealed that she and Roger were no longer together. She told You magazine:
"Our marriage has ended and we’ve been separated for quite some time. I haven’t really spoken about it because it isn’t fair on all the people involved. There are four children to think about. It’s taken an enormous amount of time, but we are all getting through it in a healthy way."
Anna, who has gained praise for her role as Julia in Motherland, also said she wasn't a single mother and that the split from Roger had been very amicable and she felt well supported by him. She said: ‘I’m definitely not a single working mother. Roger is amazing. I feel incredibly supported. We always have conversations about work. He is great."
In September 2021 Roger sadly passed away aged 65, with the cause of death not announced. Anna has not yet spoken publicly about his death but in the interview with You magazine in 2020, she spoke about how much her daughters meant to her.
She said: "They are the centre of my life. More than anything else. It’s me and my girls. I mean, otherwise, what is it all for?" Anna keeps her personal life very private and it is not known if she is currently dating.
When speaking to The Guardian Anna also admitted that she had been bullied in the film and TV industry, by both men and women. She said: "I’ve been bullied by other women in the industry – in fact more so than I have by men. Undermined, made to feel stupid, when there’s very clear favouritism in the room from a man."
Anna was born in Yorkshire and acting did not run in her family as her mother was a research scientist and her father a managing director of a pharmaceutical company. After leaving school she went to the University of Liverpool to study history before becoming a professional actress.
Her first big role was playing Lyra in the National Theatre's production of His Dark Materials and from there she played Esther Summerson in the BBC version of Bleak House. In 2006 she won Best Actress at the BAFTA's for the role.
Anna's next award-winning role was N in Poppy Shakespeare, for which she won the BAFTA for Best Actress in 2008. Her other big roles have included DCS Patricia Carmichael in the BBC hit show Line of Duty and period dramas South Riding, Bleak House and Death Comes to Pemberley.
Her most recent work includes the 2021 ITV drama series Hollington Drive, which was filmed in Wales, and the 2022 BBC show Mandy. Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway will air on ITV on Saturday, March, 25 at 7pm.
