Comedian Lee Evans now – retirement announcement, rare appearance and family life

Comedian and Hollywood film star Lee Evans is 58 years old today (February 25).

The beloved star, who was born on February 25, 1964, rose to fame as a stand-up comic, before appearing in hit Hollywood films including Mousetrap, The Magic Roundabout and There’s Something About Mary.

However, following a shock retirement announcement in 2014, Lee has since devoted his time to family life – but has still made the odd appearance in the spotlight.

To celebrate Lee Evans’ birthday, Daily Star has taken a look at his life now – from rare public outings, to his retirement and sweet family life.

Shock retirement announcement

Fans and stars from the world of entertainment were shocked when Lee Evans announced his retirement from stand-up comedy in 2014.

During an appearance on the Jonathan Ross show, the host asked Lee how many more tours fans could look forward to seeing in the future – however, the answer was not what Jonathan was expecting to hear.

After saying that his career was “finished” and this his 2014 tour was “the end”, Lee gave an emotional revelation that the decision had followed the death of his long term manager Addison Cresswell.

Lee said: “All I have ever done is work and Addison always used to put his arm around me and say, ‘Don’t worry, I will look after you. It is okay.'”

He also explained that he wanted to spend more time with his family, adding: “To be fair, I’ve been working… I mean I started off cleaning toilets as a kid and I’ve had loads of jobs and I just kept working and working and working.

“My dad always said to us, ‘You’ve got to work’. So I’ve just continuously worked and done comedy tours but I’ve ignored – I think for far too long – my missus and I want to spend a lot more time with her.

“This is it. I ain’t doing nothing, I’m going to go see my wife, give her a big hug and say ‘I am yours’.”

Family life

Lee chose to retire from comedy to spend more time with his wife Heather Nudds, who he has been married to since September 22, 1984.

Originally meeting as teenagers, Lee said that he had spotted Heather on a bus one day, before coincidentally meeting her two weeks later.

“Her mum was dying, and I saw her go by on her way to hospital,” said Lee to The Guardian.

“And I was talking to a mate in the street, and I said, ‘Who’s that?’ And he went, ‘I dunno.’ She looked distraught.

“And about two weeks later, I met her coincidentally when I went to see this band play – and we got on really well. I made her laugh, I think.”

The couple have since been together for more than 38 years and currently live in Essex.

The comedian regularly referenced Heather during his stand-up tours – from discussing shopping trips, to holidays and his home life with audiences around the world.

However despite sharing comedic insights into his personal life, Lee has often gushed about his wife during interviews, describing her to Time Out London as “f*****g lovely, she’s beautiful.”

Lee and Heather also have one daughter called Mollie, who was born in 1993.

After studying at The Ringling College of Art and Design, Mollie has since stepped into a creative career path of her own, becoming an illustrator and online content creator.

Rare appearances

After stepping away from the limelight, Lee Evans has made rare public appearances at film events such as the premiere of Kenny in Liverpool in 2017.

He also came out of retirement briefly to star in a charity production of Harold Pinter’s Wither Would You Go with fellow comedian Jack Whitehall in the same year, but this was his last onstage performance.

However in 2021, Lee was pictured out and about on a bike ride in Essex – marking one of the first times he had been spotted in public since his retirement.

The comedian was wearing a baseball cap, polo shirt and cargo trousers, along with a pair of sunglasses, as he rode his bike through the Essex streets in August of that year.

Onlookers also noticed that star seemed happy and relaxed as he rode his bike on the rare outing, and had earlier appeared content after being spotted out for a run, days after his 37th wedding anniversary.

Stand-up comedy channel

There is no doubting that Lee Evans is one of the most successful stand-up comedians of all time.

As well as winning the Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1993, the star had a successful Hollywood career and appeared onstage in productions such as The Producers.

He also broke the record for a solo act performing for the largest comedy audience in 2005, after entertaining a crowd of 10,108 people at the Manchester Arena.

Lee went on to reach new heights of fame too, when his 2008 BIG tour sold over one million DVDs, while his Roadrunner 2011 tour make a staggering £12.9million in the UK alone.

It is no surprise then that even eight years after retiring, the comedian has a huge estimated net worth of £5.6m.

However despite retiring in 2014, fans can still enjoy Lee’s comments on life, love and the trials of modern living on the Lee Evans YouTube channel.

A Twitter account dedicated to the comedian shared their delight at the news, with the caption: “It’s official! Lee Evan’s brand new shiny YouTube channel where he’s collated all his favourite clips…” next to a link to the channel.

Featuring some of the best bits from his stand-up shows, while Lee might have retired, fans can still laugh along with some of the star’s funniest moments.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk