Janet Street Porter has revealed the heartbreaking reason why she kept her wedding to her partner of 26 years a secret on Tuesday’s Loose Women.
The panelist, 79, admitted that she was so nervous on the big day that she was ‘a complete state’ and ‘shaking’.
Janet has famously been married four times before and it took her over two decades to finally take the plunge again with her long-term partner, Peter Stanton.
Explaining why she wanted to keep things low-key, the media personality said: ‘I was nervous. I got myself in a complete state the day before. I was shaking.
‘I’d messed up the last one. That was a really, really bad mistake. It was bad for my friends. It was bad for me. I don’t know about him, but it was a horrible, horrible, stupid mistake, and I didn’t want to do that again.’
While the wedding was a secret, the pair asked two friends who lived nearby to be witnesses – and were joined by another two last minute.
Janet Street Porter, 79, has revealed the heartbreaking reason why she kept her wedding to her partner of 26 years a secret on Tuesday’s Loose Women
She has famously been married four times before and it took her over two decades to finally take the plunge again with her long-term partner, Peter Stanton
Janet said that she was also conscious of the fact that it was her partner’s first time getting married, which only made her more nervous.
‘I didn’t want to do anything embarrassing that I would regret,’ she admitted. ‘I didn’t want to make fun of Peter.
‘I wanted it to be lovely for him, because he hasn’t been married before. He’s managed to avoid it.’
Unfortunately, another factor that made Janet nervous was the fact that she had to tie the knot using her last married name.
The star admitted: ‘I had to be married in my last married name, which I don’t really want to say on air, because it still upsets me so much. But nobody spotted it.
‘When we got to the registry office, there was no one there in the car park. It was brilliant. It was empty.
‘We went in and there was this great big room with chairs for like 100 people. It was all over in 10 minutes.
‘We are absolutely thrilled.’
Janet’s revelations about her big day come after she revealed that she was married for a fifth time on last Monday’s episode of the show.
Janet said that she and Peter and ‘absolutely thrilled’ to have finally tied the knot after more than 25 years as a couple
As Janet’s fourth marriage was a big mistake that affected everyone in her life, she was particularly worked up at the prospect of marrying again
Admitting that she ‘saved the best till last’, the media personality, was all smiles as she shared her happy news with her husband via video link.
Janet, who got married over the weekend, said: ‘Hi everyone, I’ve been keeping a big secret, it’s my big news for everyone that’s watching…
‘Peter and me got married on Saturday. So there you are. I finally did it. I saved the best till last.’
Janet and the British businessman have been romantically linked since 1999.
Her first marriage was to Tim Street-Porter way back in 1967, but the pair split in 1975.
She then tied the knot in 1975 to English publisher Tony Elliot – however, by 1977, the pair were divorced.
Janet’s revelations about her big day come after she revealed that she was married for a fifth time on last Monday’s episode of the show
Janet’s third marriage came later that decade to Canadian documentary filmmaker Frank Cvitanovich in 1979, but this union was also relatively short-lived, and the pair divorced in 1981.
The star’s fourth – and most recent husband until this weekend – was David Sorkin, who she was married to between 1997 and 1999.
Janet previously told The Guardian that she has had so many seriously relationships over the years that she has a good understanding of how men’s minds work.
She said: ‘I’ve been married four times and lived with a lot of blokes – I know how men’s minds work.
‘What have all the men I’ve been with got in common? They’re all pathetically grateful.’
Janet does not have any children and previously wrote about not being a mother in a column for The Independent.
She said ‘there’s no stigma in not having children’ and said that she does not ‘miss’ motherhood.
Janet wrote: ‘Men are far more demanding – especially creative, imaginative men who live in their own heads. I have certainly enjoyed the dramas and the delights of their company. I wouldn’t swap a smart man for a toddler or a goldfish.’
