Stephen and Dervla



Stephen Tompkinson and Dervla Kirwan first met in 1994, when they worked together on a radio play, 'The Road to Lisdoonvarna'. At the time, Dervla was in a relationship with Irishman Robert Caldwell (the less said about him the better. He sold their *story* to the papers, which was nothing but a web of lies. Stephen laughs it off, calling him a sad, spineless git, but Dervla is still understandably upset by his behaviour) although Stephen was separated from Celia, his wife of several years. Stephen admits to always having been a fan of Dervla's work and probably more honestly, her looks.

I had seen Dervla on television and been . . . lusting.
(Stephen on Light Lunch 190298)

When they began working together on BallyK in the spring of 1995, there was an obvious and immediate attraction between them which they chose to put on the back burner until filming of the show was completed.

It was pretty sudden, but it was pull back, pull back, pull back all the time. Because you don't want to let it interfere with your work.
(Dervla on This Morning 140397)

So, when they arrived back in England in September 1995, Stephen finally plucked up the courage to ask her out. He was off to Doncaster to film Brassed Off and he wanted to see her again before he went. They went to The Ivy for dinner, then to the cinema to see Children of the Lost World (an unusual choice for a first date!)and it continued from there.

In February 1996, Stephen and Dervla decided to take a well deserved holiday to the Caribbean island of St Lucia. Unfortunately it was not the relaxing holiday they had hoped for and they were pursued by the press. However, not wanting to let the press rule their lives, they got one step ahead and gave the story to a rival paper, complete with an interview and pictures. Suddenly their well kept secret was out, but as they saw it, they were perfectly normal and had nothing to hide.

Amazingly, some members of the press were not convinced that their relationship was genuine, believing that it was just a publicity stunt to promote BallyK. However, they were proved wrong and Stephen and Dervla became engaged in July 1997. Stephen proposed in Neary's Bar in Dublin while filming BallyK.

We were sitting at this table, surrounded by the rest of the cast when Stephen took my hand under the table. I thought, ooh? Then I felt something being put on my hand and I looked down and there was this rock. It was a big shiny thing!
(Dervla on Light Lunch 190298)

Unfortunately, in September 1999, Steve and Dervla announced that the engagement was off and they had split up. They insist that no third party was involved, just that due to heavy workloads and not spending enough time together, the relationship had fizzled out. They intend to remain good friends and will be working together on a new project soon.