Short answer: Sue Perkins doesn’t have a publicly confirmed girlfriend right now. Her last public relationship was with Naked Attraction presenter Anna Richardson, which ended in 2021 after around seven years – and the two have since stayed friends.
Sue has been one of British TV’s best-loved queer women for the best part of two decades, and she’s been more open about her love life than most – in her memoir, on podcasts and, once, in a very public way that wasn’t her choice. Here’s who she’s dated, how it ended and where things stand now.
- Who is Sue Perkins?
- Does Sue Perkins have a girlfriend?
- Sue Perkins and Anna Richardson
- Why did Sue Perkins and Anna Richardson split?
- Sue Perkins’ dating history
- Are Mel and Sue a couple?
- Is Sue Perkins married?
Who is Sue Perkins?
Sue Perkins was born in London on 22 September 1969. She met Mel Giedroyc at Cambridge, where they were both in the Footlights comedy club, and the pair became Mel and Sue – first on the stand-up circuit, then on Channel 4’s Light Lunch and Late Lunch. (Wikipedia)
The big one, of course, is The Great British Bake Off, which Mel and Sue hosted from 2010 to 2016 before walking away when the show moved to Channel 4. Along the way Sue ate her way through history with Giles Coren in The Supersizers, fronted travel series in Alaska, Japan and along the Mekong, wrote a memoir, Spectacles, and in 2025 reunited with Mel for their podcast Mel and Sue Should Know by Now.
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Does Sue Perkins have a girlfriend?
Not that she’s told anyone. Since splitting from Anna Richardson in 2021, Sue hasn’t publicly named a new partner, and as of November 2026 there’s been no confirmed relationship news. If you’ve seen a site listing her as “dating Anna Richardson” in 2026, it’s out of date.
What Sue has shared is a pattern. On the Crushed podcast in 2023, she described herself as a serial monogamist and said her relationships have a habit of running to a very specific length: “With me it always ends in an exactly seven-year relationship.” (HuffPost) She added that it’s usually somewhere between six and a half and eight years – so if you’re a sapphic who’s been told you move too fast, take comfort in knowing Sue moves at exactly one speed.
Sue Perkins and Anna Richardson
Anna Richardson is the TV presenter and journalist best known for Naked Attraction and Secret Eaters. She and Sue had known each other for a few years before anything happened, but things changed at a Halloween party in 2013. Anna had recently come out of a relationship with a man that had lasted nearly two decades, and later said that on the night they met, the planets aligned. (Attitude)
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They kept it quiet at first, and went public in January 2015 when Anna spoke about the relationship in interviews. Sue later said Anna was the calmer one of the two, and had done a lot to settle her busy brain. They adopted a dog together from a kennels in Staffordshire in 2017, and became one of the most-loved queer couples on British TV.
Why did Sue Perkins and Anna Richardson split?
News of the split broke at the end of June 2021, after around seven years together, with both said to be devastated. (Hello!) Neither gave an official reason. Reports at the time pointed to a difference over whether and when to start a family, and Anna had spoken publicly before the split about wanting to train to foster and welcome a child into her life. Sue has since said simply that they grew out of it.
What happened next is the bit we love. Anna moved on and spoke about a new relationship in 2022, the pair shared custody of their dog, and in January 2024 Sue went on Anna’s own podcast, It Can’t Just Be Me, for an episode called “From lovers to friends?” – all about whether you can turn an ex into a friend. (Gaydio) Staying close to your ex? Possibly the most lesbian thing two TV presenters have ever done on air.
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Sue Perkins’ dating history
Before Anna, Sue had a handful of long relationships, most of which she’s spoken about herself:
- Rob: In Spectacles, Sue revealed she spent around six years in her twenties with a man, named only as Rob, who later came out as gay himself. She’s said she wanted to pay proper respect to that relationship rather than write it out of her story. (PinkNews)
- Emma Kennedy: The actor, writer and presenter, who wrote for Mel and Sue’s Late Lunch. Sue confirmed the relationship in Spectacles, and the two were together for around five years. Emma has since married Georgie Gibbon.
- Rhona Cameron: The Scottish comedian. By the time Rhona went into the jungle on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2002 the pair had split, and Rhona’s talk about their relationship on and after the show is widely described as Sue being outed. Sue has pushed back on that framing, telling Time Out: “I was already out to my parents.” (Time Out)
- Kate Williams: An artist Sue met on a dog walk. They were together for around eight years before splitting in 2012, a breakup Sue has described as painful. (Hello!)
- Anna Richardson: From around 2013 to 2021, as above.
Count them up and that seven-year rule starts to look less like a joke.
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Are Mel and Sue a couple?
No – they’re best friends and comedy partners, and have been since university. Mel Giedroyc has been married to Ben Morris since 2002 and they have two children. (Wikipedia) Anna once joked that Sue would feel she was cheating on Mel if the two of them ever fronted a show together, which tells you everything about where Mel ranks.
Is Sue Perkins married?
No. There’s no public record of Sue Perkins ever marrying or getting engaged, and she has no children.
So, what we can say is:
- No – Sue Perkins doesn’t have a publicly confirmed girlfriend right now.
- Yes – she dated Anna Richardson from around 2013 until they split in June 2021.
- Yes – Sue and Anna are still friends, and even did a podcast about it.
- No – Mel and Sue have never been a couple. Mel’s married to Ben Morris.
- No – Sue has never been married.
Want more Sue in the meantime? Put Mel and Sue Should Know by Now on for your next walk – it’s the closest thing to a Light Lunch reunion we’re going to get.
Nonchalant x
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This article was written by one of our creative team writers here at Nonchalant Magazine.
