Geeky, lanky and awkward, with a penchant for corduroy trousers and grandad jumpers, ‘heartthrob’ is hardly the first word that comes to mind when you look at James Acaster.
asserted
you → come → Acaster
But the Celebrity Traitors star has, it seems, become an unlikely stud.
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it → seem → ?
Following his sensational start on the hit BBC show, which saw him become the third becloaked Traitor, the comedian has found himself at the centre of a lively debate about his relationship status.
And not least because – as his legion of admirers have been aghast to discover – he has the dubious ‘honour’ of having been dumped in favour of Mr Bean.
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he → follow → Bean
Yes, you read that correctly: the 41-year-old, whose 6ft 1in frame and foppish blond curls have been leaving middle-aged women weak, was once the partner of actress and comedian Louise Ford, better known as Rowan Atkinson’s second wife.
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frame → read → wife
Indeed, Atkinson split from his first wife, Sunetra Sastry, with whom he shares two grown-up children, to be with Ms Ford in 2014, after the pair met while appearing in a play together.
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pair → split → play
They now have a young daughter.
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They → have → daughter
Yet this bizarre entry in Acaster’s relationship history seems only to have further endeared him to fans.
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entry → seem → fans
Many have taken to social media to declare their affection for the star, with some admirers even creating fan pages on TikTok.
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admirers → take → TikTok
They are full of video compilations or ‘thirst trap edits’ designed to showcase a person’s physical appeal – a huge compliment for any man on the wrong side of 40.
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They → design → 40
The videos include clips of Acaster strutting about Ardross Castle and taking part in the gruelling challenges – all long limbs, arched eyebrows and deadpan wit.
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Acaster → include → challenges
The comedian has found himself at the centre of a lively debate about his relationship status
Louise Ford, who is James Acaster's ex-girlfriend, has been in a relationship with Rowan Atkinson since 2014
One edit has racked up almost 200,000 views, with one person commenting: ‘Yeah, he’s fit!
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he → find → views
Another agreed, adding: ‘Glad it’s not just me.’
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it → agree → ?
A third, referring to EL James’s erotic novel, drooled: ‘Fifty Shades of James.’
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third → refer → James
Many note that the Off Menu podcast host has had a glow-up for the show, swapping his signature scruffy late-night stand-up look for a more polished style.
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host → note → style
And they will be pleased to learn that he appears to be single.
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he → learn → ?
He was with Ms Ford between 2011 and 2013, with their relationship coming to an end after she met the now 71-year-old Atkinson.
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she → come → Atkinson
Addressing the break-up in his 2018 stand-up tour, Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999, Acaster joked: ‘I found out a year after we split up.
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we → address → Myself
I opened the newspaper, and there’s a photo of the two of them walking arm-in-arm down the street together and a full story about how they were a couple now.
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they → open → street
‘It’s my job to say things that are funny, and the funniest thing that’s ever happened to anyone happened to me, and I put it on the back burner out of respect.
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I → ’ → respect
Until you get left for Mr Bean, you don’t realise how frequently he pops up.
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he → leave → Bean
‘There’s a shop two streets from my house that sells masks of his face.
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that → ’ → face
There’s nowhere I’m going to go that he’s not there.’
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he → ’ → ?
Despite telling host Claudia Winkleman that he would rather be a Faithful, and was not comfortable with lying, Acaster was recruited to be a Traitor
Since then, he has had only one significant relationship, with New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo, the creator and star of BBC rom-com Starstruck.
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he → tell → Starstruck
And it appeared to affect him deeply.
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it → appear → him
Their split in 2017 plunged Acaster into a dark place mentally, which he has discussed in his podcasts and wrote about in his 2019 book, Perfect Sound Whatever.
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he → plunge → book
‘That was when I started having serious suicidal thoughts for the first time,’ he said.
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he → start → time
‘I didn’t attempt it.
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I → attempt → it
Instead I’d find myself thinking about ways I could kill myself.
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I → find → myself
That scared me.
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That → scar → me
I’m very lucky, personality-wise, that as soon as I recognise something needs doing, I’ll do it.
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I → ’m → it
So as soon as I got back to England I booked a therapy session.
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I → get → session
Having worked on his mental health, Acaster then used the experience for his comedy material.
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Acaster → work → material
He’s since said he is in a much better place.
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he → say → place
But he hasn’t had the easiest ride on Celebrity Traitors.
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he → have → Traitors
Despite telling host Claudia Winkleman that he would rather be a Faithful, and was not comfortable with lying, he was recruited to be a Traitor by Richard E Grant and Love Island presenter Maya Jama in the second episode.
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he → tell → episode
In a tense scene, Acaster and former Today show host Amol Rajan were forced to plead for their lives in the Traitors chapel before being told to lie in a coffin and await their fate.
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Acaster → force → fate
Rajan was ‘murdered’ and Acaster saved – and he has been forced to plot with his fellow Traitors in the turret since.
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he → murder → turret
But whether he has it in him to continue to deceive and murder the Faithfuls has yet to be seen.
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has → continue → Faithfuls
Several times Ms Jama has tried to encourage him to enjoy the power of being a Traitor, and to relish in picking new targets to knock off.
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Jama → try → targets
And while he hasn’t faced much suspicion yet, he reportedly became ‘very anxious’ on set, which led to filming being briefly paused during the summer to allow him to calm down.
uncertain
him → face → summer
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
