That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Luke Evans

Episode Date: December 3, 2024

Luke Evans and Gaby go WAY back! And in this episode of Reasons To Be Joyful, he shares stories of their friendship, of his amazing career and tells some of the showbiz tales that are in his new book. He also makes Gaby cry by singing one of his - and her - favourite songs. TEAR WARNING! We hope you enjoy this joyful, heartfelt chat - and that it leaves you feeling in a good mood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Evans, is it, everybody now knows you. I mean, everybody now knows you because it's a legal requirement that everybody in the whole world has to buy this book. Isn't it? There's a thing I signed, isn't there? It's the legal requirement. Oh, Luke, I love this book. I love you.

We've known each other about 100 years. We have. Before the TV, before the films, when you were doing musical theatre, I've met your parents. You have. I just, this is a really odd thing to say, but I feel incredibly proud of you. I can't, I can't think of another way of putting it. Oh, that's lovely.

Well, it's funny, because we have known each other through different moments of my life. And you know a certain amount, because obviously you've interviewed me, so you know even more than most people. But the book obviously goes into much, much more detail into the few things I may have skimmed over. in interviews in the past. So people that know me and, you know, I've been in my life, they all felt this sort of, oh, good for you, Luke. It really is. I mean, you've so, we've been at mutual friends parties,

and there was, I remember this conversation, and you were telling me about things when you were younger. And it was after meeting your parents, because you brought your parents into the, oh, your mom. She shared stories on my radio show. She's never coming on a live show again. Oh, she's got to.

No. She was fantastic. How did they end up coming onto the show? Were they with you? They were just down for a few days because they often pop down and announced. And then I just say, come on, come in. Well, yeah, because everything that I do is so different to their life. And so they just want to just watch and just come along.

My dad would be sitting here now if he lived closer. I mean, he would literally be driving me around. He'd be my driver. They're so lovely. Yeah. I mean, it is an extraordinary. extraordinary story. I knew about the Jehovah's Witness. Being a Jehovah's Witness, I knew about the bullying, but I didn't realize the extent. And actually, that's the bit that really, I mean,

if we're thinking about it now, I'm upset that you ever felt like that because I know about the goodness that you put out there. And everybody always says, anyone who was bullied, and I interview so many people who were bullied or had a tough time or a different childhood, whatever that may be. They always say that's made them what they are. But you still don't have to go through that. They don't have to go through it. No, it's horrible for anyone that has to deal with any kind of bullying as a child or an adult. I mean, it's, but I always think, you know, you're not the one with the problem. It's them. They're the ones that are sadly, you know, they choose that over being kind or being nice. They weren't born like that. No. Something happened to them. Even when as a kid, you know,

In the book, I talk about this one kid, and I remember thinking, what a horrible thing to do to me. Why would you do that? And I just thought, well, he probably doesn't have a nice family. He's probably, you know, who knows what he's going through at home. Yeah. And it's interesting that you say in the book, and I've heard you say in other interviews as well, that everybody says, oh, the bullies now. And how would you? That's gone.

Very much you live in the moment. I love people that live in the moment. And you are one of those people, aren't you? Well, there's too much to look forward to to worry about what's happened in the past. I mean, of course, the past is important. It's what creates who we are. It's part of our tapestry. It's part of our journey, our story.

But it's not something I have to hang on to in a negative way. It's like, well, that happened, and I got through it and look at me now and look at what I've got to do in the future. The known and the unknown, all exciting, all challenging, all full of adventure. and I don't see any point in hanging on to bitterness or anger. It's like it's not a point. You're not bitter. You're not bitter. It's interesting though, but a lot of people do.

Yes, it's very easy. It's an easier thing to hang on to than positive stuff because it affects you in a deep personal way. You know, I am, you know, and it lasted for me that bullying and all that taunting for a very long time. and it was horrible during it, but I just, I always knew that there was something else. I knew, of course, there was something else.

I knew there was this place called London. I knew there was a job to be found. There was people to be met. There was a community to become a part of. There was life. I just knew it. I knew the life that I was living as a Jehovah was very, very small. Even in Aberbargad, I knew there was things that we weren't doing.

that other people were. You know, I knew about Christmas, birthdays, Easter, all these wonderful things that I could never be a part of. So there was, and part of me was just like, they had this excitement of just like, as soon as I can get out of this place, I can start again. Which is a weird thing to say to yourself in your early pre-teens, teens,

and then to get to 16 and leave home. But I knew for me to be happy and to, I didn't know it was going to be an actor. It wasn't like I left home because I wanted the bright lights of the West End. It was none of that. It was just to find myself, to be who I knew I was and be comfortable and happy with that. And find your tribe.

Yeah. Well, I never really did find my tribe. I talk about that in the book as well. Yeah. It's people, like in school, you know, I was never in a gang. I didn't have enough friends to be in. Oh, yeah, no, I've no gang. Never, I tried.

I mean, I would have desperately been part of a gang. I just thought it's sort of like strength in numbers kind of thing, right? You know, I'm an only child. I was never really good at finding, well, nobody wanted to be my friend anyway, which is the first problem. But then as an adult, I was, you know, I never really found my gay tribe either, you know,

like gay men, you know, they're the big beards, big burly chests, or there's the twinks, or there's the, I know the modern, suety, like, looking gay. I didn't fit into any of them. So that was a weird thing, but as an adult, it wasn't something that upset me. It was just like, okay, well, maybe I just, I'm friends with everybody.

You are, but you are that sort of person. So you have the most eclectic mix of friends. Oh my God. I mean, so I'll be somewhere and somebody will say, oh, Luke heaven's like, oh, how do you know Luke? I know him through whatever. I mean, I'm thinking of the same person and you go and stay with them and, you know, our mutual friend, Kelly. And it's that. And then I'll go along and we have mutual friends in musical theatre who will just say, oh, I saw Luke last week.

Oh, how is he? Oh, we see. And then I'll see people in television. I'll say, look, I mean, it's, but it's sort of everywhere I go, and I'll turn around if somebody might be a teacher, and they'll say, you'll never guess who I saw. So it's, you have a really eclectic mix, and you never, you are somebody who never, I don't imagine you ever saying, no, and saying anything nasty about anybody. I've never heard you. We had a good old gloss about someone in particular, which I won't say here, but we had such a goth about that

person. But you don't say anything nasty? No. Ever? No, and I probably can thank my mum and dad for that. We were brought up to, you know, see the best in people and be polite and be nice and kind and pay that forward. Of course, I could slag off a billion people if I wanted to. We've all got those people we could slag off, but is it worth it?

It's not worth. It only makes you look horrible. And I'm not interested in it. It's like, do they have, the big thing I always. says, does it affect my life? Does that person being a bit of a dick affect me? Will I allow it to affect me? And the answer is, absolutely not. I love that. I love that. So, okay, so let's go through. So like I said, the book is incredible and people find out things about you. It's written with your, it sounds like you're talking. I read it. I didn't listen to the

audiobook and I know the audio book's there. But it's you speaking. But I want to go to now already. I can't wait. You're singing. We have to go to the singing part of you because that's the first way I met you. I think it was rent.

So that was in 2005. Five, six, something like that. Yeah. Around that, about, yeah, 2000. Oh, 20 years ago. Oh my word. So, okay. singing now you talk about finding your voice

in the book and singing and somebody talking about you know you talk about that a lot but you have actually I'm going to just tell you now so last night I don't know if I'm allowed to play maybe you can sing a bit okay last night I was listening in the bath both my daughters you've met my elder daughter and they're both obsessed with musical theatre

I don't know where they get that love for Oh I wonder I wonder But so I was playing all of your albums I was playing them around the house I was playing them in the bath and that got out of the bath and I'm going to cry now but there is you

I didn't know about you until I read this that your favourite song and you've recorded it I'm good look oh my God anyway I started crying and I played it for the girls last night I played it first thing this morning to wake up both of my daughters

and first time ever I saw your face I'm what a beautiful song to wake up to fall asleep to have enough to. Your voice singing that. Please, please, please, you just sing a little. Oh, it's beautiful.

Just a little, sing a little bit. I mean, you're asking me to do this at 20 past 10 in the morning. Look, I actually am crying. It is, and, well. This is one of you, this is your favorite song. It's my favorite song. It's also the song that was the one that moved me for the first time. The first time I heard the song, the first time I understood the lyrics,

the first time I thought, that's what true love must feel like. And one day I'm going to feel that with someone. And I was like 13 when I got that album. And I remember pressing play and just thinking, okay, well, what's this? Because I didn't know who she was. It was just a cracked CD in the Woolworth's Barggy Market, you know. And then that guitar strum at the beginning, that very simple introduction. And then her voice, which was just incredible.

And I used to try and mimic it. I can't mimic her, of course, because she's Roberta. Flack and there's no one on this planet that sounds like her, but I did my bed. Oh my word! The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun

rose in your eyes and the moon and the stars were the gift you gave to the the dark and the empty sky. Cracking all over the place, but, you know, that is the sort of song. I'm sorry. It's beautiful.

You're singing that song. I mean, that's one of my all-time favorite songs, and I didn't know it was one of yours, and I didn't know you'd recorded it. Oh, my word! You're completely! Imagine getting to, like, my early, well, my, my, my, my, late 40s and then being asked to sign a record contract with BMG and then saying to me, I said, well, so what do you want me to sing?

No, no, no. It's what you want to sing. You just sing your favorite songs. I went, really? They were like, yeah. And then we'll get the royal filamonic in. We'll orchestrate it to your voice and your tempo and your key. I was like, I'm now going to sing my favorite song with the Royal Philharmonic orchestra on my album.

And when it came out, Roberta Fleck sent me a message. she followed me on Instagram. I was like, life done, mic drop. Nothing more else to do in life now. This is sort of, oh my God, it was epic. Does all of that all seem a little bit, when you take yourself away from it, because you are really, and I can vouch for it,

you are just a regular guy. You know, you're singing with Nicole Kidman. You're hanging out with Jennifer Aniston. Roberta Flack is sending you messages. but the Luke inside there just go what the hell is going on that's why I love you

yeah and I don't why I can't imagine this is the thing I can't imagine anybody taking that stuff for granted be like you'd have to go what is going on you know otherwise I think if you don't feel excited about those moments

then something tragic is happening to you because you're jaded by these wonderful experiences and I just always put myself back in the valleys of South Wales as that kid and think look at what you're doing. Look at all these things that are happening and every experience

is just amazing. It's absolutely amazing and I'm always excited. So when people come up to you and now do that to you as we're talking about Jennifer and Roberta and like I know them. I'm using the first names. That feels rude.

Roberta Flack. But, but, and people now do that to you. You are so lovely to every single person. So I've seen you with strangers coming up and saying, oh, you're Luke Evans. Oh, I loved you in beauty. Oh, I look at whatever it is. And, and they're feeling like that and you still feel like that. It's a lovely, do you see what I mean? Yeah. There's a wonderful innocence about you. I think that's what I mean. Well, if you think about the little effort it takes to bring a little bit of joy to somebody who's, and I get it, you have to have empathy as an actor. You have to to put yourself in other people's shoes, experiences, emotions, you know. So I pride myself on being good at understanding someone else's position

or being in their shoes. And if you're in the back of a, for example, two nights ago, me and Fran, my partner, were coming home from dinner. We ordered an Uber. That turned the Prius. We got in. And I could see this guy, his name was Mustafa. And he was from Somalia.

And his mom and dad had moved here. I got all that out before he went, hold on a minute. He said, are you, are you that actor? And I said, which actor? Anyway, we worked out, it was me. He couldn't believe it. And it was lovely, you know. He's like, I've never met a famous person before.

I said, well, there's no difference between me and anyone else. Sorry to ruin your excitement of this. He said, oh my God, I've got so many questions. And I thought, I'm exhausted. I've done three interviews, a cooking show. And I just went for a quick dinner with my partner before I literally was going to crash. But I could see how excited he was. And I thought, oh, never, do you know what?

Let's just let him have his moment. So I said, go for it. And he asked me about Vin Diesel. He asked me about stunts. He asked me about how I get paid. He asked me about how do you remember interviews oppressed, like a year after the movie's been done. And really fascinating stuff. And I got to the end of it

and we did a selfie in the car and we got out and me and Fran just looked at his and he says, it was like, we went, he's going to go home tonight and tell his mom and dad that he had Owen Shore in the back of his Prius this evening. And it made us giggle

because I thought, it didn't mean much for me to do that. Even though I was a bit tired, I could tell that this is a lovely moment, you know, and he was so charming and his car smelled nice, which is always a positive. You know, and I don't know. If you can, you should.

I just think you should. But you've always been like that. I mean, throughout the book, that's what you get throughout the book. Like I said, and I mean this as a compliment, there's a wonderful innocence. The way that you sing, it's just so natural. There's an, I can't think of another way of describing it. The way that you will talk to everybody, the way you were about handling all the stuff that you handled and loss and bullying. and everything that you handled,

and then coming to London, and then leaving home at a young age, and then breaking into musicals. And all of that, there's a wonderful, wide-eyed naivety, and I mean that in a wonderful way. And I still see you getting sort of wide-eyed. You just said to me,

you're going to see Cher tonight. And it was like, I'm going to see Cher. You know, it was that. Yeah. And so you've always been like that, and you'll always be like that. I'll get up, I get excited about dinner.

I mean, I literally, I'm no lie. Like, or planning a restaurant. I mean, I've just planned this holiday for my family. And I only told them about it a couple of days ago. And as I was coming here, I found my mom. And I'm like, are you excited? Have you packed? And she's like, no, I don't know what to pack.

Oh, okay. Well, anyway, let's just remember we're all going on holiday. This is exciting. You know, I think actually plans and being excited. about something is even the small things, it keeps me going, you know. Like when I'm away on a film or a TV show, I just did one for three months. And I'm, yeah, it's a long time to be away. And all I think about is coming home and having some normal life for a bit.

And that keeps me going. It's something to look forward to. I just try and always hang on to the positive things. And plans are always good for that. So, okay, let's talk plans then. So you've just been filming. Yep. I've just done three months in Portland, Oregon.

How awful. How horrible. It was beautiful. Yeah, a really awful place. Awful place. Awful. Well, the weather did change at one point and I was like, I only had a week left, but they have weather like we do. Oh, did?

They have winter like we do, but they have a summer that is stunning. Okay, so you've done that. Can we please see you in another musical? I'd love to do another musical. Which one? I don't know, but I just want to do like a couple of weeks. Okay. But what about a movie?

No one will employ me for a couple of them. No, they won't. No, I mean, what musical? I don't know. I mean... You can do any musical. Go on. Any musical?

Well, it wouldn't be as much as I know the world loves it. I wouldn't be hip-hop. I'm not, I couldn't do it. No, no, you're not Hamilton, no. It's not my bag, but I understand how brilliant it is. Right. It's like everyone always says for me, right, what musical? I just because we love them.

So what musical? Phantom. You would? I would be Phantom. Yes. Yeah. I would love it. Oh, yes.

Oh, Jean Valjean. I'd love to do Jean Valjean. Just maybe for a month. We could do the confrontation now. Valjean, at last, we see each other plain. Monsieur Lumet, you'll wear a different change. Wow. No, go, no.

That's my audition. Two four things are one. There we go. Yeah, we're in it now. We're in it now. But musicals and the singing and the theatre, you're not closing any of that off, are you? Because you just did, what's the thing I came?

The backst, backstage. What did I see? Yes, thank you. Yeah. Couldn't remember the name. Backstairs Billy. Yeah. That was wonderful as well.

Well, that was an amazing moment because that was 15 years after I've been on stage. That was the first time I'd been on stage in a play in the West End for 15 years. So it was a long time coming, you know. And I was the title role alongside the wonderful Dame Penelope Wilton who played Her Majesty I was with her yesterday You were with her yesterday The loveliest

Loveliest Was she in this room? No she wasn't She was in the BBC with me But the Oh my word What a beautiful soul I mean

I just love her so much We have dinners now Whenever we're in London Me and her Just go for dinner And we just sit there And I just We just jab her

For like two hours You're so lovely And we have a nice meal And it's just I heard My time with Penelope I cherished. Oh, how lovely.

Yeah. I learned so much. Her timing as an actor, comedy timing is literally, it's extraordinary to watch. And she takes you along with her, so you realize your timing is being perfected by being in scenes with her.

I mean, it's fascinating to watch and to be a part of. So, yeah, I loved it. We, at the best time, we made people belly laugh, I mean, people were literally squealing with laughter. It was wet yourself funny. It was in it?

It was. So, yeah, that was a lovely, lovely thing. I mean, there's nothing like live theatre. On this book tour I've done for the book, I've done audiences with. Yeah. And I just loved it. I've loved it.

You love an audience. And I mean that in a good way. Yeah, because you can talk to like a thousand people or 500 people. and you can really connect with them all, weirdly, at the same time. And that's the magic of life, theatre and performance. And so Rent was, as I said, was the first time seeing you. Oh, that's a musical. Oh, what a show.

Yeah, yeah. Why is that not come back again? I don't know. I mean, it seemed to be around for a very long time, and a lot of versions of it were around touring, American tour, Broadway, and me and my friend Declan were playing Roger and I was in London and he was on Broadway at the same time both Brits playing Roger and Rent

but yeah I don't know I think it'll come back at some point and it'll be a big glitzy show and it'll be reimagined possibly although that show really doesn't need to be reimagined. I was going to, oh no, please don't do that. Oh do you remember my one? Remember they modern?

No one. They took a date undated it. Yes, I was going to say they changed the date. Very strange. Yes. But, you know, that play, that musical that I was in, even though it wasn't the best version of rent, I'd say. I stuck to the original Roger as much as I could.

And that was what got me the agent that basically changed my life, who's now my manager in Los Angeles. Oh, I was my agent back then. Of course it was. And then all the films, you've done so many films now and big TV shows. But the films then started happening. And which is the one do you think that? that really switched the way people perceived you?

Well, I remember when I started to be recognised and I think that was, I think it must have been The Hobbit. I love the story of the Hobbit and your mum talking. That was just lovely. You have to get the book. He has to know what I talk about. Yeah, and my dad being an extra. Your dad. Oh.

That's just a hilarious story. probably The Hobbit because it was such a huge thing to be one to be a part of and then to be part of the legacy of it as well as the experience of being in New Zealand and working with Ian

and Orlando, Kate Lee, you know, Richard there was just Martin. It was just an incredible cast of people and we existed, we lived, breathed, you know, ate my way through New Zealand. It was fantastic.

And that really sort of put me on the map. And then obviously after that, I then got Fasten the Furious. I mean, that character, Owen Shaw. Yes. Love him or hate him. I remember walking down a street in Katahena in Colombia. And these five rapping Colombian teenage boys were just rapping a song to Owen Shore and Fasten the Furious. And they just would follow me all day every day.

Like, what? I was in Cartagena. And I was there working doing this show called Echo 3, which was based in Colombia. I'd get up on a Sunday morning really early to go to the gym. I'd come out and they'd be like almost asleep on the step. And then they'd see me and they'd go, Owen Shaw, vast and furious. And I'd be like, guys, guys, guys, please. That's insane.

We can't do this every time I leave my house. It's too much. What do you want money? Do you want to have a lunch? Do you want to have dinner? Do you want to ask me some questions? But please, you can't do this. Every time I leave the house, it was like I just would, I would just die.

But God bless them. But the effect of that character, of course, you know, it's just everywhere. And then Dracula was a huge one. And really has probably been the one that has stood the test of time as a story and a film that people love. Everybody. More than the Hobbit, that's interesting. Oh, yeah, more than The Hobbit. People are just desperate for the sequel.

Desperate. I mean, literally, I get 20, 30 emails a day, messages a day asking about it. Oh, that's incredible. And then, of course, the red cherry on the icing of the cake was Gaston. You know, I mean, I will carry these characters with me for my whole life. Well, as long as I still look like them. You know, at some point I won't. You haven't changed.

You look exactly the same. Oh, please. No, no, you really do. You look exactly as you've got more hair. I'm growing a very pathetic excuse for a beard. You have beardage. Yeah. It's just because the last show I did, I had a big prosthetic thing on my feet.

face every day. It covered half of my face. And I had it every day for three months. So I've decided to let my poor face have a little bit of freedom. I'm now intrigued to know. You're not allowed to say what it was. Yes, it's called criminal. It's a, it's a comic, a Marvel comic adaptation. It's a, it's about criminal families in a fictional city called Bay City. He was written by a very famous comic writer called Ed Brubaker. And the illustrations were by a guy called Sean Phillips, who's British. They've worked together for 25 years. and this comic book anthology has basically won all the awards comics can win. Oh my word.

And Amazon Prime has now turned it into a live show, a live TV show. And I play one of the main characters. And when's that coming out then? Next year sometime. Yeah. And then do you know what, apart from the holiday with your family and France family? Yes. Yeah.

And then hopefully having a sleep over Christmas. Yeah, well, we land back on Christmas Day. land back on Christmas Day Yeah It's okay But you're going to You're going somewhere very special Which is lovely

But then next year Do you know what's lined up? I have two things that I'm going I know I'm doing Already Look at me I'm like the proud aunt again Oh my trophies

One I don't think's been announced yet But I'm very excited about it Working with somebody who I've admired And love for a very long time So that's Is it I'm doing Is it that? It's a

film okay yeah and um but i'm gonna have a little break i mean i started this year imagine i was on stage in the west end a year ago right now and look what's what day is it today it's a it's a monday so it's my first day back after the only day off of the week would have been sunday so this is how i started my year then i went straight into a film in belfast which that that's all shot and done with milo yovovitch that comes out next year in the world breaker then i had a small break and then went and did this well the book has taken two years. But by March we had to deliver it and then we've been since March up until release

we've been it's been edited. We've had to look at different stories and make sure it all structurally works and now I had to choose the pictures then I do the photo shoot. I did all of this remotely as I was around the world. It's been mad. The book has got his own carbon footprint

because I've written it in so many different countries. I have to say because I read it online and the photographs. Come on me just say, your dad, you and your dad look so alike. Yeah, people say we have the same eyes. Exactly the same look. But there's a photograph of you as a baby with your mum and dad.

I mean, look how young they are. Yeah, but your dad are, the most beautiful. So I've met them now these days. Yes. And they're gorgeous. Yeah. Your dad's like he's a model. I know.

You look so like your dad. And he was a brick. That's what he did. And it's like shovels. All the family that I feel like I really know now from reading your book and your aunts and the grandparents, I mean, it's also before you were born. You know, the family went through.

Yes. Oh my goodness. And the twins, but they are. I thought it was a really interesting thing to do. A strange thing to do with the memoirs is that you don't start with your own life. You start with the lives of your parents. But it's so important for the reader to understand

who they are. and what they went through as to have the decisions they made for me and how they brought me up. We were so informed by how they were brought up. And also my, like my mom's family, my grandmother, my Nana Enid and my grandchild, Gary, who's still alive. And still, you know, you just keep going. And all that place, that life, that existence,

it's so informs so much of my childhood. Of course. Of course. What your parents, but do you know what comes through throughout? The love. I mean, even the way they dealt with the books that you got and that, because you suddenly discovering about your sexuality and the way that they dealt with it, it was just their way of coping.

It wasn't cruel at all. It was, they couldn't cope, so they just got rid of it. It was like, that's how we're going to do it. But just so much love. Did they read this before you sent it off? Yeah. They did? My mum has.

I think my dad's slowly getting through it. Oh. Well, you said. Send them my love. I will absolutely. So the story that your mum shared, do you remember the story she shared? No, I can't. Give me a clue. I just know that I was like, oh my God, ma'am.

No, it was all to do with you when you were younger and your singing voice and all of that, wasn't it? Yeah. Oh, she was lovely. She's a car. Please, please send them my love. Oh, I will. I will. Yeah. So I will leave, I can actually say now because you're not a Jehovah's Witness.

I can say, happy Christmas. Happy Christmas. But also, your birthdays, so I sent you messages on your birthdays, without even thinking that that you never, that there's a bit in your book that really sort of clanged was when you looked at the date at school. And then you said, oh, I think this is my birthday. I was in infant school at the time, junior school, I think. And people all laughing at you.

But you didn't. But there were other Jehovah's Witnesses at school as well, weren't there? Yeah, there was like me and four girls, yeah. And those girls. Do you see any of those girls? No. No, none of them can speak to me. No.

Because they're still in... Only one. But the two that were in my year in juniors, who were with me all the way until I left, I haven't spoken to them in 29 years. But I know you, you'll wish them well and wish them love and all the rest of it. I mean, we have life choices to make. And as long as they're happy and they're happy.

They're happy with their choices. Of course, I understand the rules because they were my rules. They were your rules for a long time. So it's not that I can be angry with it. It's just it's not my life. And if it meant that I have to lose my friends, horrible things to have to lose at 16 or 17, I knew I had to.

But it's very sad. I think about those people a lot. Yeah, even now, wondering what they look like. My mom often sends me a picture every now and again. And she's, you know what the tragic thing is? I don't recognise them. Really? Yeah.

Well, it's a long time. It's a long time. And people move on. I just wish them. I hope they're happy. But also for me to see that you're so happy. You would say that about your, you are happy, aren't you? Yeah.

Yeah, I am. And you're happy with Fran? I breathe deeply and easily. And I sleep well. And Fran is a, just such a gift to me in my life. And we all just get on and we're just happy and we're busy and we love our families. And just, you know, I just always try to hang on to the good stuff. There's always something that you could hang on to that makes you feel bad.

But it's just not worth it. It's really, I just try to just focus on the good stuff and the bad stuff disappears. I hope most of the time. Can we end with a Christmas song from you, please? I just want you to sing all the time. I want to follow you around the street. And you, no, you follow me around singing. That's what I mean.

Yeah. What about, Have yourself a merry little Christmas, paint the Yuletide gay. From now on, your troubles will be miles away. Oh, Luke, I properly love you. You are utterly gorgeous and good and kind and lovely and just spending time with you.

I'm also a terror, you know that right? I have my moments. You're very naughty. That was the thing that we gossiped about, but we have, we'll save that for real life. Some things now don't need to be shared. Luke, thank you. Thank you, my love.