The Hardacres star Julie Graham's home life: from husband's tragic death to TV star mum

Julie Graham has been wowing viewers of Channel 5's new period drama The Hardacres with her portrayal of the formidable matriarch Ma. The Scottish actress, 59, is a familiar face thanks to her roles in At Home with the Braithwaites, The Bletchley Circle, Doc Martin and Maternal, but how much do you know about her life away from the cameras?

Find out all we know here, including the tragic passing of her first husband and mum, both of whom were actors, and finding love again with her new husband…

Julie's first husband and his tragic death

Julie was married to actor Joseph A. Bennett from 2002 until his death in 2015, when he sadly ended his life.

Joseph was known for his roles in Howard's End, The Bill, and The Darling Buds of May, and met Julie when they starred in a play together, in which they portrayed brother and sister. They married a year later in 2002 in front of just two witnesses.

The former couple welcomed two children during their marriage: Edie May, who was born in 2004, and Cyd Betty, who arrived in 2006.

Julie previously opened up about going through "a couple of really bad years" during a chat with HELLO! about her experience of the menopause.

"I started having symptoms when I was 48, after a couple of really bad years," the actress told us in 2021. "My best friend had died suddenly, my ex-husband died, I'd moved house, my cousin died and my camper van set on fire," explained the star, who lost her best friend, actress Clare Cathcart, when she died from an asthma attack in 2014.

"I was anxious, angry, I'd lost confidence and I couldn't sleep. I was also in Benidorm at the time, always in a bloody swimsuit, and was piling on weight for no reason. I thought it was grieving, but I was going through the perimenopause," she continued.

"The menopause doesn't just affect the women going through it – it also affects husbands, wives, children – the whole family unit. When I was going through it, the only person I didn't want to kill was the dog!"

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Finding love again with her new husband

Since 2019, Julie has been married to Davy Croket, her Belgian skydiving instructor partner. The couple met when Julie was filming the ITV comedy Benidorm.

Speaking to The Sun back in 2016, the Scottish star said of her then-boyfriend, who is 15 years her junior: "He's just lovely, gorgeous and he makes me happy.

"Meeting somebody was the last thing I wanted to do. I was adamant that I wanted to spend some time on my own.

"Although the year was very difficult in some ways, it has been really positive too. I got an amazing job in Benidorm," she added.

Julie's actress mum

Julie isn't the only famous face in her family as her late mum was soap star, Betty Gillin, who appeared in TV shows in the 1970s, The Sunday Drama, The Standard, and Scotland's first soap opera, High Living.

Julie was just 18 years old when her mum died of cancer. In March earlier this year, the actress shared a touching tribute to Betty on the 40th anniversary of her death.

"It's 40 years today since my mum died. I was 18," Julie penned alongside a beautiful carousel of photos from Betty's career.

"Although it was traumatic and painful, it also made me resilient, brave even. It wasn't until years later that I realised she had already given me the tools to be able to cope with her loss. We didn't always have an easy relationship but I had a very happy, secure childhood and I know she loved me very much. It's all that matters really. In the end.

"She was quite the character. Formidable, glamorous, witty, a great raconteur, fiercely political, a passionate socialist. She was on the board of our union Equity and was a staunch feminist," she continued.

"Her reputation for speaking her mind and refusing to put up with any [expletive] were legendary which came as no surprise when I joined the profession and was frequently told stories about her exploits which made me more proud of her."

Sharing an insight into her mum's acting career, Julie wrote: "Her roots were firmly planted in the theatre, she was a staple in all the big variety circles in Scotland, a panto stalwart but towards the end of her career she worked with some of the best theatre companies playing more dramatic roles. These photos are her in full actress mode, she was a wonderful performer, very funny but had the chops for drama too. She played a character called Marylin Lynch in Scotland’s first soap opera set in Glasgow about the residents of a block of flats called High Living," she explained, adding that while all video footage of the show was destroyed, the first three photos of her post see Betty with her on-screen husband, Phil McCall, followed by images of her first headshots.

"She certainly made her mark. My mama. Betty Gillin 1932-1984," Julie penned.