Miranda on 'joy and fun' of getting married at 51

Miranda Hart has said "getting married in mid-life is a full injection of joy and fun", after revealing she's tied the knot at the age of 51.

The comedian and actreess has married a man she met during the pandemic.

"It’s the best!" she said. "He's my best friend, we have the best fun... The fact that I could meet somebody - it's not a rom-com story but it’s hope, and that's why I think, whatever situation you're in, there's always hope that things really do change."

She discusses the relationship in her new book, and also opens up about her struggle with chronic fatigue after being diagnosed with Lyme disease.

The star, who is best known for her eponymous BBC show Miranda, told the BBC it had been a "tough few years", but she was "thrilled" by her marriage, and was "really keen to get back to some silliness".

"It’s so nice to be back in the television, I feel very excited to be here," she told The One Show.

"Because once you’ve been bed and house-bound with a fatigue-based chronic illness that takes a long time to be diagnosed - which sadly I know a lot of people will know - you miss life a lot. So I’m thrilled to be sitting here."

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection which can spread to humans via a tick bite.

The disease can be easily treated if detected and diagnosed early, but for a long time, the actor didn't know what was causing her to feel unwell.

It often starts with a circular rash and can lead to flu-like symptoms, nerve pain and sometimes a droop (facial palsy) on one, or both, sides of the face.

For most people, symptoms are short-term and can be alleviated by a course of antibiotics, but a minority go on to suffer more long-term symptoms, including chronic tiredness and unexplained neurological issues.

The star said she found it incredibly hard being confined to her home for such a long period.

"Unless you’ve had fatigue [like that], you don’t understand what literally not getting off the floor is," Hart told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I was basically bed-bound - and housebound. There’d be times where I'd look at a glass of water, and think ‘I don’t know how to pick that up'.

"All anyone wants is to be heard, accepted, loved and seen… and when you’re not - particularly in a medical situation - it’s the worst."

Part of why she's written the book was to share her discovery of what helped her recovery, she said.

"I thought I need to research this whole wellness expertise and dialogue that's out there, but I was at bed at home alone, the doctors didn't know what to do with me and I couldn't have a cold plunge or go on a yoga retreat.

"So I thought what are the universal truths? So I did years of research, when I felt able to, and in the book there are 10 keys, which I call my treasures, to living well.

"And they've really genuinely [helped]. I feel like despite the suffering it came from, that I’m living a life of joy and meaning and fulfilment in a way I never have before.

"I feel like I know who I honestly am, in a way that I never knew I needed to, which is just incredible."

When she finally received her diagnosis, she was able to trace the condition back to her teenage years.

"Probably when I was about 14 or 15, I got a tick-borne illness... and that's when my symptoms started," she recalled.

"It was such a relief. I mean, being misunderstood and misjudged is one of the hardest things about these kind of conditions. For sure."

The actress, who began her career performing at the Edinburgh Fringe in the early 2000s, remains best known for her portrayal of the unlucky-in-love and socially awkward Miranda from her self-titled TV sitcom which ran from 2009 until 2015 .

Having taken time out to rest and recover, and with her new husband by her side, Hart suggested she finally felt well enough to start taking on new projects.

"I’m really keen to get back to some silliness now, I miss the studio floor, I miss laughter."

After appearing on The One Show, Hart said she found her fans' delight at her marriage "really very touching".

Posting a video on X, she said: "I've got my best friend to do life with and it's wonderful, and I'm also utterly thrilled to be back in telly land and having a book out, so thanks so much for all your support."

Hart ended the video high-fiving her husband - only his hand was visible in the clip - which she joked was an "exclusive".

She hasn't revealed his identity, and said she wouldn't say how they met until the book is published because it is "a little bit of a twist".

Her book, titled I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You, is published on Thursday, 10 October. You can download Emma Barnett's interview with Miranda Hart from BBC Sounds.