It was double celebrations for Brian Cox and his wife Nicole Ansari-Cox two weeks ago, as the couple marked the actor’s 80th birthday and their 25th wedding anniversary.
The couple threw a glitzy party for 170 guests on the Saturday night before an intimate vow renewal ceremony and champagne reception the next day.
The festivities kicked off at The Park in Queensway, where the 170-strong guestlist included Sir Ian McKellen, Zoe Wanamaker, Charles Dance, Samantha Morton and Mark Strong.
In pictures shared by HELLO! Magazine Brian was toasted by his close friend, Succession creator Jesse Armstrong among others before taking to the floor himself for a speech.
Joking about his trim figure, the actor told the room: ‘I’m a diabetic and I’m on something called Mounjaro – this is why I’m like this but who knows how long it will last. I’ll probably end up looking like a fat slob eventually.’
He dressed to impress for his night of partying matching his wife, 56, in white.
It was double celebrations for Brian Cox and his wife Nicole Ansari-Cox two weeks ago, as the couple marked the actor’s 80th birthday and their 25th wedding anniversary – pictured with their sons Orson, 24, and Torin, 21,
Brian’s look was topped off by a profane pocket square decorated with Logan Roy’s trademark catchphrase ‘f**k off’ – a gift from Chrissie Hynde who came to his Primrose Hill house earlier in the day to watch Arsenal’s Champions League final match.
After the Saturday night fun, the couple invited a close group of loved ones to St James’s Church in Piccadilly for a blessing service.
Brian wore a traditional kilt and Nicole wowed in a black sequin gown that she had picked up in a local charity shop.
The couple walked up the aisle together with their two sons Orson, 24, and Torin, 21, to the sound of a Scottish piper
Describing the service as ’emotional’ Brian said the stand-out moment was him surprising Nicole with her wedding ring, which she had lost before the weekend.
Musing on the secret to their 25 year marriage the couple told Hello! that living in separate homes a short distance apart makes them feel ‘like we’re dating again.’
‘Let the other person be free,’ Brian advised. ‘Let the other person be who they are. That’s who you married. I think that’s what we’ve done, almost instinctively. It’s worked so well for us.’
Ahead of his milestone birthday, Brian has admitted he ‘doesn’t want to be careful anymore!’ after he previously called out Hollywood’s biggest names.
The festivities kicked off at The Park in Queensway, where the 170-strong guestlist included Sir Ian McKellen, Zoe Wanamkaer, Charles Dance, Samantha Morton and Mark Strong
The actor, best known for his role as the tyrannical media mogul Logan Roy in Succession, declared that now that he is turning 80, he is going to ‘say what he wants’, in an interview with the Times.
Read the full story in HELLO! – on sale now
Over the years Brian has been very open about his opinions on people in Hollywood branding some ‘overrated’ and ‘a***holes’, according to the publication.
Brian reportedly turned down the role of the governor in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise. But, rather than feeling like he missed out on an opportunity, he said he was relieved.
He did not want to work alongside Johnny Depp because he thinks the actor is ‘so overblown’ and ‘so overrated’.
He also reportedly thought Edward Norton was ‘a pain in the a**e’, Kevin Spacey was a ‘a stupid, stupid man’ and that Ian McKellen‘s acting was ‘not to his taste’.
He has also reportedly said director Quentin Tarantino, was ‘meretricious’ and fellow Scot Michael Caton-Jones ‘a complete a***hole’, while David Hare was a ‘see you next Tuesday’.
Although some actors are applauded for their dedication to method acting, Brian also reportedly said that his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong’s approach was ‘f***ing annoying’.
Reflecting on his comments, in the new interview, Brian explained that his wife had concerns about his no-nonsense approach to life and his willingness to express his opinions.
He said: ‘I think, “F*** it, I don’t want to be careful any more! I’ll be 80 this year. F*** it! I’m gonna say what I want to say”.’
