Charles Dance opens up about infidelity that ended his marriage

Charles Dance was married for 34 years. The actor admitted that it was his fault the marriage fell apart. A few years after the divorce, he decided to be candid.

Charles Dance is a well-known English actor who gained popularity thanks to his role as Tywin Lannister on the TV series "Game of Thrones". In the "Rosebud" podcast, hosted by Gyles Brandreth, 77-year-old Dance confessed that his marriage to Joanna Haythorn ended in 2004 due to his infidelity.

Charles Dance and Joanna Haythorn married in 1970 and have two children, Oliver (50) and Rebecca (44). The actor admits that his behaviour led to the end of their marriage. "But then, unfortunately, I succumbed to some temptations along the way and the marriage ended because of my behaviour really," Dance confessed.

"I eventually had to come clean," said the Emmy-nominated actor. "Because we were living in Somerset, in this enormous place, and Jo had her study at one end and I had mine at the other end, and we became a bit like George and Martha (in the play) Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?," he added. The actor openly admitted that his infidelity plunged his wife into darkness. When she learned everything about how he "succumbed to some temptations," she couldn't get over the shock.

Dance emphasised that he doesn't want to make excuses or justify his behaviour. When asked about "temptations," he stated that in show business, you have to keep a balance and have a strong libido to not give in to those temptations. "So, the marriage came to an end – huge regret. But after about 18 months, Jo and I, thankfully, became the best of friends, and we remain so, thank God," commented the actor. When asked if he would do anything differently in his private life, he was not hesitant, saying that it took him years to understand the consequences of his actions.

Currently, Charles Dance is in a relationship with 55-year-old Alessandra Masi, whom he met on the set of "The Book of Vision" filmed in 2020 in Italy and Belgium. The actor admitted in an interview with "The Times" that meeting Alessandra is his favourite memory from working on that film. Dance also expressed great happiness, saying: "Alessandra's fantastic. I'm very, very lucky."