Rowan Atkinson's life – 65 second divorce, younger girlfriend and near death crash

English actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson has entertained audiences worldwide with his engaging on-screen persona and undeniable wit.

Born in 1955, the star has portrayed a variety of characters throughout the course of his career which spans across four decades.

Fans will mostly remember the legend for his leading role in television series Blackadder, and who can forget his infamous character Mr Bean?

Self-titled Television show Mr Bean began in 1990 and was loved by fans so much so that it catapulted Rowan into a global household name.

Winning several awards for the iconic character throughout his career, Bean went on to be released as a film to audiences in 1997 and later became an animated series.

But although Rowan has lived a fruitful career on-screen, fans are largely unaware of his life away from the limelight.

So to celebrate 24 years since the film Mr Bean was released, Daily Star has taken a look inside Rowan’s life.

Marriage and 65 seconds divorce

Actor Rowan met his first wife Sunetra Sastry in the late 1980s when she worked as a makeup artist for the BBC.

The couple later married in February 1990 and had two children, Benjamin and Lily.

The pair’s marriage appeared to be going great and they remained together for an incredible 24 years.

But things became rocky for the long term couple in 2014 when reports emerged that Rowan had an affair outside of his marriage.

In the same year, the couple made plans for a legal separation but what surprised fans even more was how swiftly the couple divorced a year later in November 2015.

According to reports at the time Sunetra filed for divorce under the grounds of “unreasonable behaviour”.

But due to the fact that the actor was not present at the Central Family Court to hear the divorce proceedings, the divorce was finalised in as little as 65 seconds.

District Judge Stephen Alderson who was handling the case ordered a “quickie” procedure and the couple was no longer married in just over a minute.

Younger girlfriend

Following his divorce, Rowan started dating English actress Louise Ford who is known to fans for playing Kate Middleton in The Windsors.

The loved-up couple first met in 2013 when they both starred in Quartermaine’s Terms in the West End.

Before Rowan, Louise dated comedian James Acaster, who she left for the Blackadder star according to reports.

Louise is 30 years younger than Rowan but the pair have previously said that their age gap has never been an issue for either of them.

In December 2017 the couple welcomed their first child together whom they named Isla.

Near death experience

In March 2001, Rowan was applauded for his quick heroic actions when the pilot of his private plane fainted during a flight.

The star was involved in a dramatic mid-air rescue when his pilot passed out at the controls leaving Rowan in charge to take quick action.

According to reports, Rowan was said to have taken control of the Cessna 202 aircraft – saving the lives of his wife and two children.

The actor was believed to have been on a family holiday in Kenya when the drama took place.

Rowan, his former wife and their two children were roughly 45 minutes into their journey from Ukundu airstrip to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport when the pilot of the private plane collapsed.

Eventually the pilot did manage to regain consciousness after several slaps by the Hollywood star and managed to land the plane safely at the airport.

Net worth

As of 2021, Rowan’s net worth is estimated to be a staggering $150million (£111m) thanks to his lucrative acting career.

Due to this, the popular TV personality is now considered to be one of the richest comedians in the world.

Rowan owns a production company called Hindmeck which is said to have provided him with millions behind the scenes.

Not only this but the star also made a fortune with his programme Mr Bean despite there only being 15 episodes of the original series available.

The popular series was shown on more airlines than any other in-flight feature and was sold to 94 countries, earning Rowan approximately £9million, according to reports by The Richest.

Expensive car crash

Rowan has a love for cars and has previously raced a Jaguar Mark VII M at the Goodwood Revival motor racing festival in 2009.

However Rowan’s love for specialised vehicles has cost him a fortune overtime.

Between 1997 to 2015, Rowan owned a rare McLaren F1, which was previously involved in an accident with an Austin Metro in October 1999.

In August 2011 the car was in another serious crash and caught fire after Atkinson reportedly lost control behind the wheel, causing significant damage to the vehicle.

The car took over a year to be repaired to its original state and resulted in the largest insurance pay-out in Britain, at £910,000.

For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk