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NUMBER'S UP

How old is Hugh Dennis, who is the Outnumbered star’s girlfriend and is he on a stand up comedy tour?

The actor has carved out a hugely successful career in comedy after starting out as a toothpaste manager

Hugh Dennis

HUGH Dennis has become one of Britain's most beloved comics thanks to his performances on Outnumbered and panel show Mock The Week.

Here's the story on the comedian's career and how he found love again with his on-screen wife...

 Hugh Dennis is an English comedian, actor and impressionist
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Hugh Dennis is an English comedian, actor and impressionistCredit: Rex Features

Who is Hugh Dennis?

Born February 13, 1962, Peter Hugh Dennis is an English comedian and actor, best known for his role in Outnumbered and for being a regular panellist on Mock The Week.

The 56-year-old uses his middle name Hugh professionally because Equity already had a Peter Dennis registered when Hugh started his career.

He achieved a first degree as a Geography exhibitioner at Cambridge University. While still at university, Hugh revealed he was approached by the MI5.

Is he dating Claire Skinner?

The Sun exclusively revealed in June 2018 how Hugh had begun dating Claire Skinner - who plays his wife Sue in Outnumbered.

Hugh and Claire had been dating for over a year when the story broke about their off-screen romance.

The relationship began after Claire split from her husband Charles Palmer.

Actors Hugh and Claire, who play stressed-out parents Pete and Sue Brockman in the show, got together in March last year after their ­marriages broke down.

A friend said: "It's always a sad moment when a marriage breaks up. So to have found each other after the ending of both their ­relationships  is rather lovely."

In recent months Hugh and Claire had been spotted together several times but it was assumed they were out as friends.

The pal said: "They’ve been out in public quite a lot, just no one has quite cottoned on to it."

The pair has been open with relatives, friends, and colleagues about their love.

Daniel Roche, who plays the couple's on-screen son in Outnumbered, said the pair had actually been "going out for years".

 The cast of Outnumbered reunited for a Christmas special in 2016
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The cast of Outnumbered reunited for a Christmas special in 2016Credit: BBC Press Handout

Who are Hugh Dennis' former wives?

Hugh has been married twice. His first marriage to Miranda Carrol ended in 1993, the pair having married in 1987.

Hugh married Catherine (Kate) Abbot-Anderson in 1996 but the couple separated in 2015.

The pair have two children together, Freddie and Meg Dennis.

When did the Outnumbered actor meet Steve Punt?

The duo first met at the Footlights amateur theatrical club while studying at Cambridge University in the early 1980s.

They initially started off as an amateur double act due to Hugh's weekday job commitments in the consumer goods industry.

Punt and Dennis came to public attention as one half of The Mary Whitehouse Experience on BBC Radio 1 which sparked their transition into television and full-time comedy.

The two still continue to collaborate despite forging separate careers, with Steve a programme associate on Mock The Week.

Is he on a stand-up comedy tour?

The comedian will start touring the UK with the play The Messiah this autumn.

The play will open at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on October 15.

Hugh's castmates include Lesley Garrett and John Marquez.

So far, 7 UK dates have been scheduled which consist of stops at Birmingham, Cardiff, Sheffield, Chichester, Cheltenham, Richmond, and London.

Outnumbered's Hugh Dennis hints there'll be another special of hit comedy show
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