Inside Shetland star Ashley Jensen's life from marriage to tragic loss

Shetland is set to grace our screens once again on BBC One, diving into its ninth season with Ashley Jensen taking over the lead from Douglas Henshall as Jimmy Perez.

Jensen expressed her enthusiasm about rejoining the acclaimed detective series, stating prior to the commencement of shooting: "The reaction to the last series was incredible and I'm excited at the prospect of unravelling more intrigue."

Captivated by the filming environment, she added: "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."

Known for her standout performances in Extras, Ugly Betty, and Agatha Raisin, the noted 55-year-old Scottish actress has garnered attention also for her off-screen life. Notably, in Ugly Betty, her role as Christina McKinney was initially penned for an American but the show's producers were so charmed by Jensen's accent they rewrote the character to be Scottish.

In her personal life, Jensen has experienced matrimony twice, initially tying the knot with Terence Beesley, famed for roles in Victoria and The Bill, whom she met in 1999 during a production of King Lear, and later to Kenny Doughty of Vera fame.

With Beesley, she shared a son named Frankie, and shifted her residence from London to Bath to enhance his upbringing.

In a heartfelt revelation to The Standard in 2013, Jensen disclosed: "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 celebrity shared that she had collaborated on certain projects with her then-husband, stating that they made a great team. Tragically, her husband Terence was discovered dead at the age of 60 in his Somerset residence in 2017.

The subsequent year, an inquest concluded he had taken his own life.

In a public statement, Ashley expressed that she was "extremely shocked" and that the memory of the event would always stay with her.

In 2023, Ashley exchanged vows with Vera actor Kenny Doughty, in what was described as an "emotional" event. Gossip regarding their union began to circulate in 2021 following Kenny's separation from former wife Caroline Carver.

They initially crossed paths working on BBC's Extras, and as the Daily Mail has reported, the couple said 'I do' surrounded by a tight-knit circle of kin and companions at Priston Mill, not far from Bath, a venue steeped in history.

A close associate remarked: "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."