Louis Theroux just made us believe in office romances by sharing his own love story

Louis Theroux interview

Credit: Getty

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Louis Theroux just made us believe in office romances by sharing his own love story

By Hollie Richardson

6 years ago

Louis Theroux just shared the hilarious but heartwarming story about how he met his wife, and anyone who’s had an awkward office romance will relate. 

We’ve all heard the office romance horror stories. Hell, many of us have our own tale to tell. Although the workplace is a common place to meet potential romantic partners, starting a relationship at work can be very, very tricky to navigate. That’s why, every so often, it’s nice to hear about the work romances that end well.

Just think of Judd Apatow who met his now-wife Leslie Mann at an audition. And them there’s the ultimate example: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who met on the set of an 80s sitcom.

Now, Louis Theroux has shared his own hilarious and typically self-deprecating experience of an office romance, which is how he met his second wife.

Speaking to Clara Amfo on her This City podcast, Theroux chatted to the host about the city they met in – London

Louis Theroux joins Clara Amfo on the This City podcast.

Credit: 4th Estate

Theroux’s recounting of his love story began with him recalling how he and his now-wife met when they worked at the BBC together in 2002.

“I began seeing her around the White City building. And I remember thinking ‘wow, she’s beautiful’. She looked sort of like a French chanteuse.

“And she was sort of fashionable, but sort of not aggressively stylish. People didn’t really say ‘hipster’ in those days, but she had a touch of hipster.

“She would go out and smoke cigarettes outside in front of the building. I saw her on these little trips. I would pass her in the corridors as she went out to smoke cigarettes.

“Then at a Christmas party, I was introduced and I said, ‘oh yeah, I think I’ve seen you around’. Later on she made fun of me for saying that. She claims she once spoke to me in a lift before then and that I didn’t answer, which I find hard to believe.”

He continued: “But I suppose it’s possible, that I was too aloof. She said something like ‘all these lifts take ages’ or something, and I was like, ‘oh whatever’.

“And so, we spoke for the first time there at that Christmas party. And then it was actually a Friday night. I said ‘funny enough, I’m going in tomorrow to catch up on stuff’.

“She said ‘I’m going in as well’. And I think I drank too much.

“I went in late. So, when I arrived, there was just a note on my desk like ‘oh, I came and went, but where were you?’.

“I said, “Oh, well, let’s try for next Saturday”. We went out for a meal and it all went from there…”

Listen to Clara Amfo’s This City series here

Theroux also talks about what he’d do as mayor of London, the problem with gentrification, his most memorable music gigs and what it’s like seeing his face on posters on the Tube.

Listen to the episode when it released on Monday 10 February 2020.

Images: Getty, 4th Estate

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