Inside the life of Shetland's Ashley Jensen from famous husband to tragic loss

A new series of Shetland sees Ashley Jensen return as DI Ruth Calder - but what about her life off-screen?

Shetland is returning to BBC One with a ninth season, with Ashley Jensen having replaced Douglas Henshall's Jimmy Perez.

The star was thrilled to return to the detective drama for another series, explaining before filming: “The reaction to the last series was incredible and I’m excited at the prospect of unravelling more intrigue.

"The Shetland Isles are breathtaking – without a doubt one of the most memorable and unique filming locations I’ve been to. I’m looking forward to jumping on that wee plane again and returning soon.”

The 55-year-old Scottish actress is otherwise known for her roles in Extras, Ugly Betty and Agatha Raisin. Her character in Ugly Betty was originally an American, but when she met the show's producers they liked Jensen's accent so much that they changed the nationality of Christina McKinney to Scottish,

Ashley has been married twice in her life, to actor Terence Beesley and then to Vera star Kenny Doughty.

She met Terence, known for Victoria and The Bill, in 1999 while working on a stage production of King Lear.

The pair had a son together, called Frankie, and she moved from London to Bath to give him a better quality of life.

She told The Standard back in 2013: "I want to focus on being a mum at the moment. He’s just had his nativity play and I spent days making a shepherd’s costume for him — I was trawling the second-hand shops of Bath and I absolutely loved it.”

The star also revealed she had been working on some projects with her then-husband, saying the pair worked really well together.

Devastatingly, Terence was found dead aged 60 at his home in Somerset in 2017. The following year an inquest heard he had taken his own life.

Ashley said in a statement she was "extremely shocked" and she "will never forget" what happened.

In 2023, she married Vera star Kenny Doughty in an "emotional" ceremony. Speculation about their relationship started in 2021 after Kenny split from his ex-wife Caroline Carver.

Kenny and Ashley had met on the set of BBC's Extras and the Daily Mail reported they had tied the knot in front of a close group of family and friends at the historic Priston Mill near Bath.

A friend said: "The day looked absolutely beautiful. Ashley looked just so, so happy. She was smiling and laughing, it was simply idyllic. There appeared to be so much love in that room."

Shetland airs on BBC One at 9pm