Dame Elaine Paige has found love off the stage before, including a romance with a man 23 years her junior. But while she was in a long-term relationship, the theatre legend never tied the knot – and she once revealed why exactly that's the case.
Elaine, 78, is best known for her theatrical talents, for which she will be recognised with the Special Award at this year's Olivier Awards on Sunday night. While fans might be most familiar with her work in Cats or Evita, in her personal life, she was previously linked to marketing executive Justin Mallinson, whom she once proclaimed she would likely never marry.
Elaine reportedly began dating Justin, who is 23 years younger than her, around 2010 and reportedly split from him in 2018. Years into their romance, the theatre legend admitted: "I doubt very much that Justin and I will get married."
"I'm happy with the way it is," she told the Daily Mail in 2017. "It seems to work and I think, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
© Getty Images"I’m often asked if I regret not having a family, but I feel being a mother is a dedicated business," Elaine told The Telegraph in 2014. She added: "I admire women who are married with children and have careers. But I don’t know if I’m the kind of person who could have managed to do that. I struggle enough looking after myself."
Elaine's love life
While she doesn't shy away from the spotlight on stage, the theatre star, often called the 'First Lady of British Musical Theatre', has kept her love life pretty private over the years.
"I’ve never really spoken about my private life before and I don’t think I’m going to start now. Which is a shame for you," the star once reportedly said as per North Wales Live when questioned about her reported romance with Justin.
Elaine made several public appearances with Justin, bringing him as her date to the Laurence Olivier Awards in 2013 and packing on the PDA at the Hennessy Gold Cup in 2012.
As for her dating tips, the star suggested, "If you want to meet someone, you should think about doing something that interests you. Meet people of like mind. That’s the way you meet people. I don’t do Tinder or anything like that. It’s the old-fashioned way of dating and meeting people."
Elaine's 'thrilling' Oliviers honour
Across her six decades in theatre, Elaine has been nominated for five Oliver Awards and took home a win in 1978 for her leading role in Evita. Ahead of receiving a special award this year, Elaine gushed on Instagram that she "can't wait to be there to collect" the honour.
"So unexpected but thrilling," she added.
The Olivier Awards said the star's "extraordinary career has made a defining contribution to musical theatre".
