Frank Skinner's wife rejected four proposals before low-key wedding

Daily Mirror

17-05-2025

Frank Skinner, 66, secretly married girlfriend Cath Mason in a 'small do' as she's said she doesn't want a big wedding, but before then he faced a round of rejections from her
Comedian Frank Skinner revealed he and his long-term partner Cath Mason have tied the knot in a secret ceremony. But before the secret wedding, the comedian said Cath had rejected his proposals four times.
The former Absolute Radio host and girlfriend Cath have been together for 24 years and share a son, Buzz, together – whom they welcomed in 2012. Frank, 68, and Cath, 56, tied the knot in a secret ceremony earlier this week, which was attended by one guest; their son Buzz.
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In a candid revelation from last year, the comedian divulged that he had popped the question to Mason, a talent agent, multiple times. He recounted how Mason, turning down the conventional path, didn't fancy a grand celebration or the traditional white gown but chose a "flowery dress" for their special day.
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Previously, Skinner has spoken about his repeated proposals, all of which Cath had declined, prompting introspective musings from the funny man.
"Maybe it's some terrible personal reason that I don't know about," he mused. "That she doesn't actually like me as much as I think she does. Her parents got divorced, so she got a bit cynical about it and thinks if we get married it would be like a slight curse on the thing," he told The Sun.
He revealed meeting Cath, 55, through his management company and joked that, at their ages, calling her 'my partner' felt less romantic and more like a professional liaison.
Frank gushed over his secret wedding ceremony on the latest episode of his podcast, Frank Off The Radio. The news event surprised his co-hosts Pierre Novellie and Emily Dean, who cried with joy over the news.
The TV and radio star announced: "Can you brace yourselves? You'll never guess what I did on Monday: I got married. I got f***ing married!
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"Don't be offended, we didn't invite anyone. Buzz was a witness. We got married not in a room but on the stairs at Camden Town Hall.
"I said to Cath, 'Will you marry me?', and she said 'I'm not having a f***ing party! I don't want a load of guests. I'm not going in a church. I don't want a ring. I'm not wearing a stupid f****ing white dress'. So it went on. 'I'm not doing this!' I said 'Oh, forget it.' And then about two weeks later I said, 'Okay we'll do it your way'. I felt bad for the friends. I would have invited everyone."
Frank then revealed how they decided to wed in the secret, low-key ceremony. He revealed: "The thing that no one ever says about getting married is it's quite embarrassing. How can I put it? It's a bit basic getting married. We've been together 20-odd years. Cath's not gonna wear a big white fluffy dress.
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"We hadn't told anyone except our child – I think you have to have them now, it's a modern marriage! Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue… and your children!
"Anyway, we walk up the stairs me and Cath, and they said to Buzz 'Just plug your phone in there and you can play the music. So we entered to Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul by The Fall. That sounds gimmicky, like getting married by Elvis in Vegas, but in fact The Fall meant so much to me and Cath when we were in our early days, so it was actually quite an emotional thing."
Giving more insight into the special day, Frank revealed Cath wore "a flowery dress" but "moaned about that". He added: "I said 'you can't have leggings!' When she was stripping away all the things we couldn't have at the wedding, I said, 'Can you at least wear…?'."
Frank, who's real name is Christopher Graham Collins, revealed Cath isn't changing her name and won't be wearing a ring. He explained: "She said 'If I wear a ring, I'll feel trapped.' I said, 'you'll be married, you're supposed to feel f***ing trapped! That what it symbolises. It's like a shackle!'"