They say opposites attract, and Chris McCausland, 47, is the first to admit that was true for himself and his Brazilian wife Patricia.
The Liverpudlian standup comedian – who is competing on Strictly Come Dancing alongside Dianne Buswell – revealed that Patricia brings “chaos” into their relationship, joking their personalities are “very opposite”.
The couple met in 2005 when Me Too! star Chris was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and his now-wife was filming a documentary about the festival. Reflecting on their early relationship, he said on Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud podcast: “We spent a lot of time together when the camera wasn’t running, socialising, going out and doing things, and we just had a lot of fun.
“We were very opposite, she comes across as very British but she’s Brazilian, she came across when she was five or six.
“Her life is chaos in the way that Brazilian people are chaos. It’s a natural attribute of their being that they are very proud of – they bring chaos to any room.
“The number of times she’ll be talking in Portuguese to her mum and then I’ll say to her, ‘Are you okay? What happened there?’ It sounds like they had the most horrific argument and they’re just talking about what they’re going to do that day.”
On why their dynamic works, he continued: “Full of energy, took me out of my comfort zone, and I think me to her, I made her laugh and was almost this calming presence in her life that she was attracted to.”
Marriage confessions
This is not the first time Chris has been candid about his 12-year marriage. He previously opened up about a common disagreement in their household, which they share with their daughter Sophie.
“As you can imagine, we are very different in terms of our culture and our biological response to temperature,” the quick-witted comedian told Brighton Magazine.
“While my wife still needs a winter coat in 22-degree sunshine, I find it hard to cope in temperatures above about 26. I believe there’s a high likelihood that one of us might be discovered lifeless in the hallway one day, reaching out towards the thermostat, while the other has fled the country.”
Chris’ wife Patricia
Chris and psychologist Patricia got married in 2012 following a four-year relationship. He proposed during a Pearl Jam concert at Hyde Park and later described the moment as “rock and roll” during an interview with Disability Horizons.
She has been cheering him on during his Strictly appearances, which will see him dance the Salsa this weekend. See his funny moment with Craig Revel Horwood….
Chris occasionally draws from personal experience in his home life with his wife and daughter during his standup routines, but Patricia has asked him to limit some embarrassing stories.
“Patricia has been to many shows, but not in quite some time. She is very happy for me to talk about her on stage, just so long as I don’t mention anything too embarrassing.
“I suppose, that because she doesn’t come along to watch every show, I can say what I want really, just not on the telly,” he joked.