Death In Paradise star Ben Miller's life from famous exes to 'unmanageable' health condition

Ben Miller, best known for his role as Detective Inspector Richard Poole in the first two series of Death In Paradise, left fans devastated when he exited the BBC show at the start of series three. The 59-year-old actor's departure was a shock to loyal viewers, with many claiming the show had been "ruined" after his character was killed off and replaced by Kris Marshall as Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman.

Miller's decision to leave the crime drama came as he wanted to prioritise his family life, following the news that his wife was expecting their second child. Despite his successful stint on Death In Paradise, Miller began his career as a comedian, forming one half of the duo Armstrong and Miller.

He also boasts roles as Angus Jeremy Bough in the Johnny English film series and James Lester in ITV's sci-fi series Primeval. He also appeared in the BBC One comedy, Austin, reports Wales Online.

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Off-screen, Miller is married to film producer Jessica Park, daughter of renowned TV and film musician Alan Parker. The couple, who wed in 2013, share three children and enjoy a quiet life in the Cotswolds.

They welcomed their first son, Harrison, in 2011, followed by their daughter, Lana, in 2015.

As a family, they grappled with Ben's demanding filming timetable, having discovered Jessica was expecting Harrison during the shooting of Death in Paradise's inaugural series.

To handle the circumstances and move to a larger family residence, Jessica and Ben shifted from London to Cirencester.

Discussing the relocation at the time, Ben revealed to The Telegraph: "We needed more room because our son, Harrison, who was three, was bouncing off the walls. I mean literally bouncing off the walls."

Private life

Before his romance with Jessica, Ben was wed to actress Belinda Stewart-Wilson, who gained recognition for her part in the beloved series The Inbetweeners as Will McKenzies' attractive mum, Polly.

Belinda also achieved success in shows including Stay Close and Sick Note and even appeared alongside her then-husband Ben in Primeval.

The pair tied the knot in 2004 and had a son, Sonny, in 2006 before they chose to separate, finalising their divorce in 2011.

During a 2010 interview with The Guardian, Ben disclosed things had concluded amicably, sharing with the newspaper: "My wife and I have been separated for a while, but we have an arrangement where Sonny spends half the time with me and half the time with her.

"I very much wanted the perfect nuclear family, and I came from the perfect nuclear family, but like so many people, that isn't the way things have worked out. I'm very lucky in that Belinda and I are good friends."

In a previous piece for the Daily Mail, Ben also spoke warmly about his upbringing at Cambridge University's St Catherine's College.

It was there that Ben truly began to discover himself as an individual.

He found his passion for the performing arts and abandoned his studies to chase comedy instead.

However, during his time at university, he also romanced a massively famous film star.

Rachel Weisz is most recognised for her part in The Mummy film franchise as Evelyn O'Connell.

He wrote: "I joined the Footlights drama club and met a lot of creative, witty people, including Rachel Weisz, who was my girlfriend for a time. Footlights gave me enormous confidence, and being around people who were so funny and clever was wonderful.

'Unmanageable' health condition

The performer previously revealed his battle with OCD after landing the role in the ITV drama series Professor T, portraying the character Professor Jasper Tempest.

In a subsequent chat with The Express, Ben admitted: "I did struggle a lot with OCD, particularly in my twenties, and I'm very lucky in that it's all very manageable now. But there were times where it was unmanageable."

In the ITV programme, Jasper is a criminology genius who battles obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Ben went on This Morning to discuss his part and what it truly signified to him, having also endured the condition throughout his life. In 2022, he said: "I've talked about this from the very beginning. I also have OCD, so when I came across this part, it was a very exciting moment for me to play this character.

"My symptoms, I guess you could say, are very different and sort of present in different ways to the professor, and I also had cognitive behavioural therapy to help me, I suppose you could say, ameliorate [them]."

Ben continued: "So, for me, it's very emotional to play this character because he's completely unashamed. I was always very ashamed of my OCD, that's one of the reasons why I got the treatment, [Professor T] doesn't really care. He makes everyone else go along with every single tiny detail of his regime."

Outside of acting

Beyond his acting career, Ben keeps himself occupied penning children's fiction novels.

He's penned numerous beloved children's titles, including The Boy Who Made The World Disappear, Diary Of A Big Bad Wolf, and The Day I Fell Into A Fairytale.

The entertainer recently appeared on Chris Evans' radio breakfast programme to discuss his chart-topping publications whilst promoting his eighth book, Once Upon a Legend.

He revealed to Chris: "I get so much joy out of doing this. It's something I never thought I would end up doing. I started out doing comedy with Alexander Armstrong. We were so focused on sketches.

"You take a little side road and you think, 'I'll write a little story, and you end up in a whole new area that you'd never even imagined."