Inside Sean Lock’s relationship with wife Anoushka and how the secret to their marriage was him 'shutting the f**k up'

SEAN Lock made us all laugh with the things he said – but he once admitted keeping quiet was good for his relationship.

The comedian tragically died from cancer yesterday aged 58, leaving wife Anoushka Nara Giltsoff to raise their three kids alone.

He once joked that he didn't care what his obituary said because "I'll be dead".

"Ideally I'd like it to say… Nooooo, why? Noooo, argh," he added.

As well as businesswoman Anoushka, Lock is survived by their three children.

Although the kids' names are not known, the couple had a daughter in 2004, a second daughter in 2006, and a son in 2009.

And while Lock always kept his family out of the public eye, he praised his wife for how she takes care of their children.

Lock revealed that he'd been diagnosed with skin cancer in 1990 after a melanoma was spotted on his back by a woman with whom he was having a one-night stand.

In later years, he said his wife took great care with their kids' skin.

"My partner Anoushka is excellent about sun protection, and if it's hot, she makes sure she puts SPF50 cream on the children before they step out of the house," Lock told the Daily Mail.

And in a 2010 interview with TimeOut, Lock described how he and Anoushka would strike a healthy work-life balance for their family when he came home from lengthy tours.

? Read our Sean Lock blog for the latest tributes

"Every time I come back me and the wife have arguments and I fall out with the kids," he said.

"The problem is she doesn't know anything about how hard my job is and likewise I've forgotten how hard her job is. That's the hard bit, but you get over it.

"Recently my wife said: 'The best thing to do when you come back is just shut the f**k up.

"'Don't say anything. Don't get involved. Know your position. You're the lowest in the family, you're right behind the baby in the list of important things. Stay there.'

"And strangely, that sort of worked."

In the same year, he also revealed to The Times that work on his sitcom, 15 Storeys High, had put a strain on their relationship.

Recently my wife said: 'The best thing to do when you come back is just shut the f**k up'

"The amount of work that goes into a sitcom — seven days a week, 12 hours a day — drove my wife mental," he said.

And he also said the couple had put a stop to allowing their kids to watch too much TV, which they'd used as a parenting tactic.

"My wife and I have actually tried to cut it down a bit because we were using it like some kind of gas to stun and quieten the children down," Lock said.

"We’d sit them down in front of it for half an hour and then realise we’d left it on for two hours and they were stuck there like Easter Island heads."

'Laughing and crying'

Lock was surrounded by his family at the very end, a statement from his agent confirmed.

"It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Sean Lock. He died at home from cancer, surrounded by his family," the message from Off The Kerb Productions read.

"Sean was one of Britain's finest comedians, his boundless creativity, lightning wit and the absurdist brilliance of his work, marked him out as a unique voice in British comedy.

"Sean was also a cherished husband and father to three children. Sean will be sorely missed by all that knew him.

"We kindly request that the privacy of his family and children is respected at this difficult time."

Tributes from around the world of comedy have also poured in for Lock.

I’m watching clips of him right now – laughing & crying.

Ricky Gervais tweeted: "Such sad news. RIP the great Sean Lock. One of the funniest, most influential comedians of a generation. A lovely man."

Lock's 8 Out of 10 Cats colleague Jimmy Carr wrote: "Brutal news about Sean Lock today. I loved him.

"I’m watching clips of him right now – laughing & crying. I’ll miss him so much."

Pal Lee Mack said: "I’ve known this day was coming for some time, but it’s no less heart-breaking.

"A true original both in comedy and life. I will miss him so much."

And Jon Richardson, who was opposite Lock in their hilarious "Carrot in a Box" game, said: "I idolised Sean as a comic long before I became a comedian myself and ten years working alongside him didn’t diminish that in the least.

"An incredible comic brain and a truly unique voice."

Source: Read Full Article