Don Gilet

Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran has discussed her relationship with Death in Paradise actor Don Gilet, explaining their decision to maintain separate homes in different cities

Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran, 59, has offered a rare glimpse into her relationship with Death in Paradise actor Don Gilet, 58, revealing why the pair have chosen to maintain separate households.

The duo initially crossed paths whilst working together on ITV’s crime drama The Loch, where Siobhan played DCI Lauren Quigley and Don took on the role of forensic psychologist Blake Albrighton.

Around a year afterwards, in 2018, their professional connection developed into something more romantic. Yet Siobhan calls Saddleworth home, whilst her other half, Don, is based in north London.

Despite the geographical gap between them, Siobhan insists she and the DI Mervin Wilson actor manage perfectly well, noting that Don spends most of his time abroad anyway, filming Death in Paradise in Guadeloupe.

Speaking to The Times, she said: “That’s just the way it is, isn’t it? That’s how it’s always been. And he’s out of the country for seven months a year doing Death in Paradise anyway.”

Siobhan also disclosed that she’s made the journey to the French Caribbean island, which she calls an “amazing place”, to see Don whilst he’s working.

The Protection actress was swift to reject any notion that they’re a “power couple”, confessing they can be “hopeless” when attempting to organise themselves, joking: “I’ve not heard that one before.”

She continued: “We are both off the telly. Other than that we’re pretty normal. You wouldn’t think we were a power couple this morning, both running around trying to get out of the house on time. Hopeless.”

After months of rumours, Siobhan first hinted at her romance with Don when she lovingly called the actor “my fella” during a chat with The Guardian.

Before this revelation, the couple had been photographed holding hands at various showbiz gatherings prior to making their relationship official.

Don is set to return to television screens as DI Mervin Wilson for the Death in Paradise Christmas Special.

He will be joined by guest stars Josie Lawrence, Kate Ashfield, Pearl Mackie and James Baxter for the festive episode.

The Death in Paradise Christmas Special airs on Sunday 28th December at 8.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website.

Death in Paradise returns for a festive special episode tonight, with a guest cast set to join DI Mervin Wilson

Death in Paradise is gearing up for another festive special episode, ahead of welcoming a fresh series in 2026. The BBC programme has proved a massive success since it first hit our screens in 2011, with Ben Miller originally taking the lead detective role.

Don Gilet has stepped into Death in Paradise as the newest lead detective, DI Mervin Wilson, making his debut in the 2024 Christmas Special before headlining the complete Series 14 in early 2025, replacing Ralf Little.

Discussing his return to the role of Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson, Don Gilet shared with the BBC: “It felt good. Slightly daunting, but in a positive sense because you want to do the same again, if not better.

“I jokingly describe it as the second album. The first album went really well, but you can’t rest on your laurels and be complacent, there’s still more audience out there to win over. So, I went out to Guadeloupe with a renewed appetite. It was great to come back and reconnect with the characters and the actors,” reports the Express.

The BBC has now revealed what audiences can anticipate from the Christmas special, scheduled to broadcast tonight (December 28) on BBC One, featuring a new guest lineup appearing in this year’s standalone episode.

Death in Paradise Christmas special 2025 cast

• DI Mervin Wilson- Don Gilet
• Detective Sergeant Naomi Thomas- Shantol Jackson
• Officer Sebastian Rose- Shaquille Ali-Yebuah
• Catherine Bordey- Elizabeth Bourgine
• Officer Darlene Curtis- Ginny Holder

Guest cast

• Josie Lawrence (Outside Edge)
• Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead)
• Pearl Mackie (Doctor Who)
• James Baxter (Waterloo Road
• Billy Harris (Ted Lasso)
• Oriana Charles
• Alix Serman

Death in Paradise Christmas special 2025 plot

The BBC has revealed a thrilling plot for the upcoming Christmas special of Death in Paradise. The office Christmas do takes a sinister twist when four colleagues wake up with pounding heads, only to find an unknown man shot dead in their villa’s pool.

DI Mervin Wilson and his squad manage to locate the murder weapon, but they’re left scratching their heads when they realise it was locked away in a drawer at the time of the shooting… and that drawer was thousands of miles from the crime scene, all the way back in Swindon. All the suspects insist they’ve never crossed paths with the deceased before.

As the team delves deeper into a tangled web of secrets and criminal activity, it becomes apparent they’ll need all the assistance they can muster to crack this perplexing case. Maybe a familiar face spending the festive season back in the UK could be persuaded to chip in.

Meanwhile, the Yuletide celebrations on Saint Marie are in full swing. The annual nativity is underway, and Mervin has a role to fill. But the DI has other matters preoccupying him.

A few months ago, he reached out to a brother he’d only recently discovered, but he’s yet to hear back. Can Mervin sort out his family issues and embrace the holiday cheer for the sake of his team and the island?

The Death in Paradise Christmas special airs Sunday, December 28 at 8:30pm on BBC One

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

Death in Paradise star Don Gilet has opened up on returning to the BBC drama for the Christmas special

Death in Paradise star Don Gilet has expressed his delight at reprising his role, admitting “It was great to come back”.

The actor, 58, joined the BBC drama as DI Mervin Wilson last year, following in the footsteps of previous stars such as Ben Miller and Ralf Little.

Now, he’s eagerly awaiting the 2025 Christmas special and shared his feelings about returning to the role, confessing it was “slightly daunting”.

“It felt good. Slightly daunting, but in a positive sense because you want to do the same again, if not better,” he revealed in a BBC interview ahead of his return. “I jokingly describe it as the second album, the first album went really well, but you can’t rest on your laurels and be complacent, there’s still more audience out there to win over.”

He continued: “So, I went out to Guadeloupe with a renewed appetite. It was great to come back and reconnect with the characters and the actors,” reports the Express.

Discussing what fans can expect from the festive special, Don promised “plenty of humour, but even more heart”.

He elaborated: “It pushes and pulls emotionally and comedically in equal measure. Mervin faces far more antagonism, and things are a lot more challenging for him, especially now he knows there’s a half-brother out there to find.

“But you can still get cosy, sip your Baileys and enjoy another great Death in Paradise Christmas special,” he added.

The forthcoming special presents one of the team’s most perplexing cases yet, as a victim is found dead in a swimming pool on Saint Marie, whilst the murder weapon was locked away in a drawer back in England at the time of the killing, leaving detectives completely stumped.

This comes as Don recently spoke candidly about the “pressure” of filling the boots of previous stars as the latest detective on the show.

During his stint on BBC The One Show on Monday (December 16) evening, he confessed to Alex and co-host Roman Kemp: “I feel the pressure doing this. I’ve said this before, it feels like the second album, you know the first one went well, I was the replacement like a replacement Doctor Who and people have their favourites prior to that.

“So there’s always this sense of ‘well is he going to be as good as…’ are people going to switch off, but luckily no one has switched off yet but you’ve got to come back and do it again and better so I’m not resting on my laurels.

“I do feel a bit pressure but it’s an enjoyable pressure. I love coming back and doing more of the same but with something a bit extra.”

Death In Paradise Christmas special airs on BBC One on Sunday, December 28 at 8.30pm.