Twiggy shares the secrets to a long marriage after 35 years with husband Leigh Lawson

3 August 2023, 12:23

The Boy Friend – the Twiggy movie trailer

By Mayer Nissim

Twiggy has been married for longer than many in the public eye.

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Not all celebrity marriages are doomed – Dolly Parton is inching towards a whopping 60 years with the love of her life Carl Dean after all – but it's a sad fact that the pressures of fame can make long marriages especially unlikely.

Former era-defining supermodel and David Bowie album cover star Twiggy is one of those who has bucked the trend, having clocked up over three decades of marriage to her second husband Leigh Lawson.

"[Leigh and I] have been together for 38 years, which is frightening!" Twiggy told Good Housekeeping.

"I suppose luck has a lot to do with it. You never know when you meet somebody how it's all going to turn out or what life is going to throw at you."

While luck is obviously a key factor in any successful relationship, Twiggy also gave some further advice.

Twiggy and Leigh Lawson in 1987
Twiggy and Leigh Lawson in 1987. Picture: Getty Images

"We've both been through things that didn't work out for various reasons and when you've had that experience, you're a little gentler when you meet someone else," she said.

Twiggy previously married actor Michael Witney in 1977 and they had a daughter Carly together the following year.

Witney died of a heart attack just five years after he and Twiggy wed. He was 52.

Leigh Lawson and Twiggy in 2023
Leigh Lawson and Twiggy in 2023. Picture: Getty Images

Actor, director and writer Leigh Lawson divorced his first wife Mondy before having a high-profile relationship – and a son – with Hayley Mills.

Twiggy and Leigh later met in 1984, going on to work on Madame Sousatzka together in 1988, before marrying later that year.