Sharon Horgan has broken her silence on her rumoured romance with fellow actor and former co-star Barry Ward as she confirmed they are in a relationship.
The Bad Sisters creator, 55, split from The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess earlier this year after two years together.
She explained that she first met Barry, 44, in 2019 while filming the coming-of-age comedy Dating Amber, where they played a married couple.
Sharon later cast the Irish actor as her co-star in the smash-hit Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters – though insists their on-screen reunion wasn’t a calculated move.
‘We met years ago doing a film together, and then became friendly,’ Sharon said. ‘And then a good few years later – and this wasn’t on purpose, by the way – I cast him in Bad Sisters. Honestly, it wasn’t on purpose!’
Speaking on the Dinner’s On Me podcast with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, she said of their relationship: ‘It was unexpected… Being single again at my age is a whole thing.’
Sharon Horgan has broken her silence on her rumoured romance with fellow actor and former co-star Barry Ward as she confirmed they are in a relationship (pictured in May)
She explained that she first met Barry, 44, in 2019 while filming the coming-of-age comedy Dating Amber, where they played a married couple (pictured in March 2020)
Sharon continued: ‘And it just feels like so much fun just to meet someone who you can have a laugh with and connect with. It’s surprising.’
She also reflected on their nine-year age gap: ‘I said ten years for a while, and it freaked me out too much. I don’t know why I was rounding up.
‘I think initially, I was like, oh, that’s exotic – being ten years older. I sort of got off on it. Then I was like, oh no, that’s not good.’
Speculation that the pair were more than friends first surfaced in March, when Sharon was reportedly spotted visiting Barry on the set of his new drama Trespasses, a 1970s Northern Ireland-set series co-starring Gillian Anderson.
Barry – known for his roles in Britannia, The Capture, and Jimmy’s Hall – played Garda detective Fergal Loftus in Bad Sisters, a shrewd officer with a complicated love life that including dating Sharon’s on-screen sister.
Off-screen, insiders claimed their chemistry was hard to miss. ‘Everyone around them has commented on their chemistry,’ a source told The Sun. ‘Sharon and Barry certainly seem to be enjoying spending time together.’
Sharon was previously married to property developer Jeremy Rainbird for 14 years. The pair met in 2004, and she fell pregnant just six months later.
Their real-life whirlwind inspired Catastrophe, her BAFTA-winning sitcom co-starring Rob Delaney.
Sharon later cast the Irish actor as her co-star in the smash-hit Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters – though insists their on-screen reunion wasn’t a calculated move (Barry pictured in Bad Sisters)
The Bad Sisters creator, 55, split from The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess earlier this year after two years together (pictured in 2017)
She said of Barry: ‘It was unexpected… Being single again at my age is a whole thing. And it just feels like so much fun just to meet someone who you can have a laugh with’
Sharon tied the knot with businessman Jeremy Rainbird back in 2005 and the pair were married for 14 years until they split in 2019 (Pictured in 2016)
The couple split in 2019 and share two daughters. Sharon later began dating Tim Burgess, but the relationship ended earlier this year.
She has spoken candidly about the toll of divorce – and the freedom that followed. ‘There came a point where it was so clear that it wasn’t right for either of us,’ she said on the How to Fail podcast.
‘You get one life, and that’s an awful lot of time to spend on something that’s not working.’
In an interview with Red magazine, she added: ‘I feel more in control and more independent. I certainly feel happier than I have been in the last few years.’
