Maureen Lipman is engaged

Writing in The Spectator, Maureen said: "Later that night my partner David and I decided to tell our children that, with a combined age of 156, we are going to get married.

"'In truth I had been rather against the 'M' word, but on a train coming back from Edinburgh he mentioned that it was the minor festival of Tu B'Av - a day when a Jewish woman can ask a man to marry her.

"Unable to resist the gag, I slid under the table separating us onto one knee and asked him for his hand. To my surprise and slight panic, he gave it."

Maureen was previously married to TV scriptwriter Jack Rosenthal for 30 years until his death in 2004.

They had daughter Amy, 50, and son Adam, 48, together, while David - who Maureen revealed she was dating in 2023 - has three children from a previous relationship.

Writing about how their children received the news of their upcoming nuptials, Maureen wrote: "All reactions were warm, and all were individual.

"One child said that he needed time 'to process it'. We broke the news to another as he slid leaves into a new dining table, transforming the scene into a Jack Rosenthal play - one with, I like to think, a happy ending."

Maureen and David made their first public appearance together at the Oldie Of The Year Awards in November 2023.

She told the Sunday Express newspaper: "It's a gift for all concerned. It's a gift and he's been very nice. I've met some nice men in my life, some really interesting men, and we will see where it goes."