Billie Piper has opened up about her divorce from ex-husband Laurence Fox.
Doctor Who star Piper and Fox split in 2016 after eight years of marriage, where they now co-parent two children together. Fox recently lost a High Court libel case after he was found guilty of defaming a former Stonewall trustee and popular drag queen Crystal by calling them “paedophiles”.
In a new interview with Vogue, Piper shared her feelings on her controversial ex, saying: “Of course I have feelings on that, I’m not dead inside.”
“I’ve had to make some choices and a divorce speaks for itself,” she continued, and then added: “Or at least it should!”
Piper also revealed that she co-parents with Fox “with enormous difficulty”. She said this was especially the case when Fox makes controversial remarks. The actor previously made “totally unacceptable” comments towards journalist Ava Evans last year, which led to him being fired from GB News.
“I close everything down and keep a very strict routine with the kids so that there’s consistency,” Piper said. “I keep them close. That’s all I can do.” She added: “I try to keep people from telling me stuff but it’s really, really hard. I don’t read it but everyone wants to talk about it. Sometimes I have to say to people: ‘Please don’t bring this to me, now or ever.’”
She also said if people wanted to understand Fox, “they ought to either ask him or his family”, saying his sister Lydia Fox and her husband, actor and comedian Richard Ayoade “might have a more interesting take”. Ayoade previously called out Laurence for stirring up a race row in 2020.
Piper finally remarked that “what is paramount for me is the privacy and anonymity of my children. They deserve not to be extensions of the parents and to forge their own identities.”
The actress is set to star in upcoming drama film Scoop, which will be released on April 5 this year. Scoop will be a dramatic retelling of the infamous BBC interview with Prince Andrew. Piper will star as BBC producer Sam McAlister alongside Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis and Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew.
NME spoke to Piper back in 2022 to go behind the scenes of Sky’s I Hate Suzie Too. She opened up about her early music career: “For years, I couldn’t even really sing. I just felt so scared of singing and I couldn’t watch the videos. But over the years, I’ve been able to share that part of myself with my kids, though they don’t believe it’s me – that’s what’s so funny!
“But there is something really beautiful and joyous about going back to dancing now. And it feels way more on my terms.”
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