For years, Crissy Rock made the nation laugh with her razor sharp one liners and unforgettable role as Janey York in Benidorm. But away from the cameras, the comic’s real life was far from funny.
Behind the scenes, Crissy endured years of abuse, heartbreak and toxic relationships that left her questioning everything. By the time she finally met new man Derek, the star admits she had almost given up on love completely.
The ITV actress has been married three times before. She first tied the knot with Philip Shaw in 1975 before marrying again in 1989. In 2018, Crissy married her third husband Julian Buck, but reports in 2025 confirmed the pair had separated. By the time Derek entered her life, Crissy admits she had almost given up on finding love altogether.
The TV favourite and comedienne, 67, has never hidden her difficult upbringing and says much of her new live stage show focuses on the struggles that shaped her into the woman she is today.
“What happened was a lot of people were asking me where they can get the book,” she explained exclusively to Daily Star in collaboration with WhichBingo,the home of the best casino sites, referring to her autobiography. “Then someone said, ‘Why don’t you do your act on it?’”
Her deeply personal comedy show sees Crissy open up about abuse, self harm and surviving some of the darkest periods of her life while still finding humour in the chaos.
“I talk about my life and being abused, me and my brother being abused,” she revealed. “But it gets the laughing and the crying going at the same time.”
One of the stories she shares on stage is about her first wedding, which perfectly sums up just how difficult life once was for the star.
“When I got married the first time, it was a £1.10 silver wedding ring, half a pound of boiled ham and a Victoria sponge,” she laughed. “The best man was his probation officer.”
Despite the pain she has experienced, Crissy insists she refuses to let the past define her. “You cannot change the past ever,” she said. “You can only change the future. I could spend my life going, ‘Poor me, poor me,’ but you have to just say that was the cards that were dealt.”
While her career soared thanks to hit roles and reality TV appearances, Crissy admitted her personal life continued to be filled with heartache behind closed doors.
The TV star revealed one former relationship left her emotionally destroyed after she unknowingly married a narcissist. “Oh, I got married to this fellow, unbeknownst to me, he was a narcissist,” she explained. “Absolutely wore me to the extent that I felt like ending it all for myself. It was so horrible.”
The turning point came after Crissy drove six and a half hours through awful weather to see him, only for him to shrug off her effort with a brutal response. “He said, ‘More fool you,’” she recalled. “And that was it. That was the cage opening and the bird flying off.”
Crissy walked away with nothing but the clothes she was standing in and spent years avoiding romance altogether. “I never wanted anything from him,” she said. “The man had everything but never gave me the time of day.”
Then Derek entered her life when mutual friends invited them both on nights out together. At first, Crissy tried to keep her distance because she was terrified of getting hurt again.
“I said to all my friends, ‘I can’t come out with you lot anymore,’” she explained. “They said, ‘Why?’ and I said, ‘Because he’s dead lovely. He makes me laugh and I haven’t laughed for a long time. I’m starting to like him.’”
Soon after, Derek confessed he felt exactly the same way. “He came up to me and said, ‘You know, I like you as well,’” Crissy smiled.
The pair’s romance quickly blossomed and Crissy said one kiss completely changed everything. “We came out of this club one night and I thought he was going for the cheek,” she laughed. “But he kissed me on the gob. I was gone.”
Now, the actress cannot stop gushing about her husband and says she finally understands what real love feels like. “He is absolutely like my best friend,” she said. “He just spoils me to death because he says I deserve it.”
Crissy even joked that Derek has become more famous than her after fans started recognising him whenever they are out together. “I’ve had T shirts made saying ‘Everybody loves my Derek,’” she laughed.
The couple recently tied the knot and are now planning an extravagant trip to Miami together, something Crissy never imagined she would experience after the difficult years she endured. “He’s taking me business class to Miami, then on a cruise,” she revealed proudly. “He won’t let me spend a penny. ‘Not on my watch,’ he says.”
Despite finally finding happiness in her personal life, Crissy has no plans to slow down professionally either. Her brutally honest live show has become a huge success around the country, regularly selling out theatres as fans connect with her emotional story.
After decades in comedy and television, Crissy also admitted she would love another big TV opportunity if the right role came along. “If the offer came along, I’d grab it,” she said. “I’d be an idiot not to.”
The star confessed she would particularly love to return if Benidorm ever came back to screens. “I’d love Benidorm to come back and I’d love to be part of that,” she admitted. “Never say never.”
Crissy also dreams of appearing on The Traitors despite joking she would probably fail instantly because she “hasn’t got a poker face.”
And while she still gets recognised everywhere she goes, Crissy insists she has stayed grounded throughout her fame. “I go to Aldi, I go bingo, I go everywhere,” she laughed. “I haven’t got celebrity friends. I just keep normal friends.”
These days, after decades of pain, setbacks and struggles, Crissy says she has finally found peace.
“If I dropped dead today, I could knock on the gates of heaven and say, ‘Thank you God for giving me the last 12 months of my life as heaven,’” she said.
For a woman who once thought happiness had passed her by forever, it is clear Derek has helped put the smile back on Crissy Rock’s face.
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