They’re set to spend their first Christmas together in the £3.5million dream Essex home they completed just three months ago – and last week shared pictures of their beautifully decorated mansion. But insiders say Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright are to be separated again in the New Year, with Mark being left at home alone.
Pals say actress Michelle, 36, has been offered a job abroad that she can’t turn down.
A source says, “Nothing has been signed yet but Michelle has been presented with another amazing opportunity, but it would mean filming in Europe for at least three months and obviously spending time away from Mark and the new house.”
They add, “Mark is really annoyed that Michelle could be set to leave their home and although he wants to be supportive of her career, he’s surprised she’s even considering it at this point in their lives, since they’ve just started to really make the house a home.”
But the couple are used to being apart. In May, Michelle jetted to Australia for a few months to film BBC period drama Ten Pound Poms, which follows a group of Brits who embark on an adventure on the other side of the world in the 1950s. She shared a photo of herself at the airport with the caption, “The greatest danger in life is not taking the adventure.”
Michelle’s first job abroad was in 2016 when she was sent to locations such as South Africa and Malaysia to film BBC1 drama Our Girl for months at a time, leaving her separated from Mark, 35.
In 2017, Mark moved to Los Angeles to launch his presenting career. The couple would communicate regularly via video calls, with Michelle admitting at the time, “We FaceTime a lot, I’m in a lucky position I know that, but you miss home a little bit.” The former TOWIEstar returned to Essex in 2019, saying it felt like the “right time to live here with my wife and family.”
Last year Michelle shut down talk of working abroad putting a strain on her marriage to Mark. She said, “Going away for work is never seen as a good thing, only a negative, and I don’t understand that. Are you seriously supposed to turn down work in case it impacts your marriage? I find it ridiculous.”
And our source says Michelle is reluctant to turn down the new role, but is aware it may cause tension at home."
A source says, “Michelle doesn’t feel like she can just pass up an opportunity like this up as she’s worried that every job could be her last in the acting world. However, she knows that it could cause a serious issue if she accepts it and leaves again.”