Strictly’s Bill Bailey’s ‘wild’ wife who he took a year to woo before marrying on a whim

When Bill Bailey spotted a quirky blonde at one of his gigs in 1987, he was immediately entranced.

Drawn to the mysterious woman’s ‘wild spirit’ and unusual clothes, the comedian – who is currently competing in Strictly Come Dancing –  made it his mission to find out more about her.

That woman would turn out to be Edinburgh bar owner Kristin, who Bill remains married to to this day.

Recalling the first time he laid eyes on Kristin, Bill said: “She had a very distinctive style.

Bill Bailey and wife Kristin met at one of his gigs Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles

“She had this long brocade coat, and I realised she was a free spirit and did her own thing.

“We ended up chatting away, and all went to a party, and she put me up on her sofa,” he told the Independent.

To say thank you for her generosity Bill, 55, bought Kristin a bunch of flowers.

But it would take him a year of hard graft to woo the object of his affections through the old-fashioned art of letter writing.

Bill spent a year wooing Kristin by letter (Image: Ealing Times WS) Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles

“I didn’t have a computer for email, phoning wasn’t easy. It was very old fashioned,” said the romantic star.

Then after ten happy years together, Bill and Kristin – who handles his business affairs – were travelling around Asia when they spontaneously decided to get married.

“We were travelling around Asia and sailed into a place called Banda, with a beautiful lagoon, and a smoking volcano on one side and a Dutch colonial fort, an old church and remains of a little town on the other.

“We decided to get married there and then,” explained Bill.

Bill has been paired with Oti Mabuse on this year’s Strictly

It wasn’t just their wedding that was inspired by the eventful trip to Indonesia.

The couple went on to have a son in 2003 who they called Dax, named after a child they met on their travels.

Speaking about the significance of the name in an interview with the Guardian, Bill said: “Contrary to popular belief, Dax is not named after a Star Trek character.

Bill and Kristin got the inspiration for their son’s name from their travels (Image: Getty)

“The name came from a friend of ours who married an Indonesian man.

“They had a son called Dax and we just always associated it with being in Indonesia and always said, ‘If ever we have a child, that’ll be in the running’.

“At the same time I’d rather lost track of the various Star Trek spin-offs and was completely unaware that Dax was also the name of a character in Deep Space Nine until someone told me.”

Strictly Come Dancing 2020

Discussing his parenting style in an interview with the Mirror in July, Bill said: “I’m quite relaxed as a parent. Maybe I should be more disciplinarian, but it’s not in my nature. I’m pretty hands-on in terms of activities, though. I like the boy to do stuff.

“We go cycling and paint-balling together, and I’ve taught him how to pitch tents. The way he’s turned out is my biggest achievement.