How ‘smitten’ Joanne Froggatt fell in love with a sporty new man after a heartbreaking divorce as she revealed she is pregnant with her first child at 43

This is the Mr. Right who helped Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt rebuild her life after a heartbreaking divorce.

Friends said the award-winning actress – who announced this week she is pregnant with her first child at 43 – has never been happier since falling in love with sporty Mark Turner, 45.

Joanne has been inundated with congratulations since she announced she is preparing to become a mother for the first time at a star-studded film awards ceremony in London’s Leicester Square this week.

Wearing a red minidress, Joanne made no attempt to hide her joy. She beamed from ear to ear, placed a comforting hand on her belly and posed for photos. She then joked: “This is the first official appearance of my baby bump.”

Joanne, who played maid Anna Bates in the hit ITV period drama, was devastated after her eight-year marriage to 43-year-old IT consultant James Cannon broke down in early 2020.

She felt isolated after the separation occurred at the beginning of the Covid pandemic and families were separated from their loved ones by lockdown restrictions.

But MailOnline can reveal that she is now starting a new chapter in her life with Mark by her side.

A friend told MailOnline: “She was heartbroken when she split up with James. But she has since met Mark and is so happy with him.”

“She knew early on that they had something special together.”

“And now her story has a happy ending and she is expecting her first baby.

“She always wanted to be a mother and everyone is happy for her. Mark, the son of a former policeman, loves the outdoors and has been photographed with a dog while taking part in 10-mile charity runs.

The friend said: “Joanne has had a difficult time during Covid with the breakdown of her marriage.

“Mark moved here from Brighton and lives with Joanne. They seem really happy together.”

The couple were spotted together in August last year, walking hand in hand with their black dog in the Buckinghamshire countryside.

Joanne later introduced Mark to her friends and took him to a party with her group of friends at The Italian Greyhound restaurant in Marylebone, central London.

Although Joanne was said to be “besotted” with the new man in her life, she remained tight-lipped about his identity. Mark’s proud father Ray, 72, confirmed the relationship at the family’s chic semi-detached home on a cul-de-sac in upmarket Haywards Heath, Sussex.

As he opened the door of the property where he lives with his wife Leslie, 73, he nodded when asked if his son Mark was Joanne’s partner.

However, he did not want to answer any further questions and said: “I cannot say a word because I am not allowed to.”

Mark sold his house in the area in September 2021 for £570,000 and is now believed to be living with Joanne.

The happy news comes as Joanne is set to reprise her role in the third Downton Abbey film. The movie is currently filming and is set to be released in September next year.

She has appeared in all six seasons of the drama, which began in 2010, as well as in the first two Downton films in 2019 and 2022.

For her portrayal of this character, Joanne was awarded the prestigious Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Movie in 2014.

She recently garnered widespread acclaim for her role as Dr. Abbey Henderson in the harrowing ITV medical drama Breathtaking, which follows the struggle of frontline medical staff trying to save the lives of coronavirus patients as the virus begins to overwhelm the NHS.

Joanne, whose parents ran a corner shop in North Yorkshire, was engaged to DJ Phil Vane at 19 before marrying James in 2012.

The couple tied the knot in a private church ceremony in Oxfordshire, attended by their fellow Downton Abbey cast members.

In a 2015 interview, she described her marriage to James as “perfect.”

She added: “He has a passion for film and theater, so we have a common interest – and he’s not in the industry, so it’s perfect.”

Together they ran their own production company called Run After It. The actress now runs the company alone and said taking the helm “feels like an exciting new chapter.”

After their separation, she said in 2021: “I didn’t think I would get a divorce, I didn’t think we would go through a pandemic, I didn’t think my life would be as upheaval as it was. But I’m OK with it.”

“I’m so grateful for my friends and family, for my health, and for working so hard over the last year. When you really look at it, you realize how many positive things there are in your life.”

But Joanne – who also starred in ITV thriller series Liar and Angela Black – revealed in a podcast in 2021 that she doesn’t like being asked if she has children.

On the podcast “Reign With Josh Smith,” she said: “Since I was 38 or 37, whenever I’m promoting my work or anything else, I’m always asked if I want to have kids.”

“When are you going to have kids? Or how do you feel about turning 40?”

She said her male colleagues in the industry had never been asked the same question.

Since announcing her happy news, Joanne’s Instagram page has been flooded with heartwarming messages from her followers. After posting a picture of herself in her outfit, which she described as a “bespoke dress of joy”, her Downton co-star Amy Nuttall gushed: “I couldn’t be happier for you!!! You look beautiful.”

Joanne responded to the message with four red love hearts and wrote: “Thank you my angel!”

Actress and Strictly Come Dancing winner Jill Halfpenny wrote: “Yo!!!!! You look radiant and beautiful and I am so happy for you.” End