As the slightly chaotic Liz in Motherland, chopping off a fingertip while hacking into a block of frozen cheese, Diane Morgan became a relatable icon for mums everywhere. So it might surprise you to learn that Diane, also known for her roles as Philomena Cunk and Mandy, doesn’t actually have any children in real-life.
The 50-year-old Last One Laughing comedian has ‘never wanted’ kids, previously telling The Guardian: ‘Couldn’t see any advantage to having them. I just can’t, and I’ve always felt the same way. When I was younger, I thought, maybe I’ll change when I get older, but I haven’t. I’ve made my mind up now, and I’m with someone who doesn’t want kids as well, which is glorious. It’s really good luck.’
In an interview with The Times this weekend, Diane spoke more about life and friendships as a child-free woman, noting that her new show, Ann Droid, is in part inspired by those scaremongering societal messages that women who aren’t parents will end up alone with only robots to look after them in old age. ‘I was laughing to my friend, “Oh, that’ll be me, because I don’t have kids and I’ll be fed soup by a robot”,’ said Diane. ‘The robots carrying you to bed, the really embarrassing stuff. We were just laughing our heads off.’
Despite being able to laugh at this with her friends, Diane does admit she has lost some bonds as a result of other people getting caught up in parenting. She shared: ‘There were one or two that had kids and you do lose them to life. Sometimes they come back, after the divorces and kids have gone.’
But she’s very happy in her relationship of over a decade with TV commissioning editor and writer Ben Caudell, and especially in being child-free, for one brilliant reason: ‘All the WhatsApp groups you hear about. I don’t want kids so I don’t have to be in a WhatsApp group.’ Don’t go thinking that Diane and Ben aren’t kept busy, though. The couple share a dog, a 14-year-old rescue toy poodle named Bob. ‘My life revolves around my dog, Bob,’ Diane said. ‘I’m just obsessed. [Ben and I] share responsibilities. Although I do the majority. But that’s fine, I wanted him.’
So, while Motherland’s Liz is a relatable version of motherhood, Diane Morgan is perhaps an aspirational vision of what child-free life can look like. She also has a great view on getting older now that she’s passed her 50th birthday: 'I think if you’ve achieved what you want to achieve and you’re quite happy, then it’s not as bad. I’m lucky — I wanted to do comedy and I got to do it. So I feel like I’m doing all right.’
