standup

SINCE stepping out of the stand-up spotlight, Johnny Vegas has embraced a calmer life running an antiques business – and now his long-term partner is getting involved.

In a new interview, the Benidorm star has opened up about Vikki Jones in a rare glimpse int his love life.

Johnny, 55, has been dating Vikki for three years and says the pair love working together.

He told The Times: “They say never work with your partner, but it’s great. She and Bev make fun of me most of the time.”

Bev is Johnny’s self-described “long-suffering” childhood friend and assistant, who appears alongside him in his Quest series Johnny Vegas’ Little Shop Of Antiques.

Explaining why he rarely speaks about Vikki publicly, Johnny said: “I wasn’t keeping it under cover, but I don’t share much about it on social media.”

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His antiques venture, Vintage Vegas, began as a pop-up shop at Dagfields Craft and Antique Centre near Nantwich, Cheshire.

It featured in his eight-part TV series, which followed Johnny and Bev as they hunted for unusual treasures to sell.

Johnny describe his business venture as “collectable things of all sorts, really.

“I have a very dangerous bit of knowledge on lots of things. I couldn’t tell you about 18th-century furniture or anything, but I have to think I like it and hopefully I have an eye for this stuff.”

The Benidorm star admitted he was initially unsure whether customers would visit just to get a selfie.

He said: “It’ll be an interesting experiment to see if people come in not just to see me.

“We’ll find out if it’s viable down the line when the circus has left town, so to speak. We’re learning as we go. I never thought I’d see myself as a shopkeeper.”

Johnny has also opened up about stepping away from stand-up comedy after years of struggling with nerves.

He said: “Stand-up was great, but it was manic. The nerves took their toll. Never say never, but I just see that as a project that needs to rest.”

Johnny was previously married to Kitty Donnelly from 2002 until 2008, and they share an adult son, Michael.

He wed his second wife, Irish broadcaster Maia Dunphy, in 2011.

The former couple, who share 11-year-old son Tom, announced their separation in 2018 and later briefly reconciled before splitting again.

In the latest episode of “The De Los Podcast,” actor and comedian Fabrizio Guido spoke with hosts Fidel Martinez and Suzy Exposito about his role in the Netflix series “Running Point” — as well as being a part of a new wave of young Latino Hollywood stars and how he got his start in the stand-up comedy world.

Having grown up in L.A. himself, Guido talked about owning the persona of “Running Point” character Jackie Moreno: a concession-worker-turned-executive-assistant from Boyle Heights.

“I just felt I had all the tools necessary to bring this character to life,” Guido said. “It was a really important opportunity for people to see this side of L.A. … to get to know that kid that you see on the street or at the mall [and say] ‘Oh, that guy reminds me of Jackie.’”

Part of the appeal of the character was the chance to “showcase how much heart L.A. has.”

Alongside actors like Xolo Maridueña, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Isabela Merced and Jenna Ortega, Guido is part of a new class of young Latinos taking Hollywood by storm — something the “Running Point” star said is “an honor.”

“It can be isolating if you’re the only Latino on a set,” Guido shared. “So to have peers that share a similar upbringing as you — you walk away with a friendship most of the time because you have stuff in common.”

He also mentioned that the bump in Latino talent has led to diversity in roles within the community.

“For the longest time, it could’ve been stereotypical — the only things Latino could play,” Guido said. “For the first time we’re starting to see this emergence of what it means for each one of us to be Latino. I’m bringing my experience to the table, Keyla is bringing her experience to the table, Xolito is bringing his. We’re not going by what the industry thinks Latino is, we’re bringing what we think Latino is.”

But beyond the acting world, Guido has also tackled the stand-up comedy scene in recent years.

He shared that he got his first gig thanks to comedian Gabriel Iglesias, who he worked with on the Netflix sitcom “Mr. Iglesias.” The arena comic convinced Guido to do a five-minute set — which Guido worked on for two weeks — at the Brea Improv.

“I got on stage, did my first joke and was super nervous,” he said. “Second joke did really well and it afforded me enough time to get present and then I ran through my five minutes, got off stage a different person. I knew I was in love. I felt like something in my life had shifted in that moment and I’ve been in love with stand-up ever since.”

RICKY Gervais banked £16.2million from his sell-out 80-date live Mortality tour, accounts show.

The Brit comedy legend, 65, raked in £311,500 a week for the stint.

It meant the 2025-26 financial year was his best earner to date.

His firm, Red Lion 99, has £17.9million in assets and he has another £33.9million in his TV and film firms listed on Companies House.

Gervais will earn even more from a new nationwide tour, Legend, which starts this autumn.

Yet the Reading-born star is known to be disinterested in wealth.

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He once said: “People ask me why I dress like a tramp.

“And I say, ‘My clothes are clean and comfortable.

“Who am I trying to impress?’

“I don’t wear £50,000 watches. I don’t collect cars. I can’t drive.”

“Nothing gives me more of a buzz than to help an animal. I don’t get excited about things.

“I’m not a hippie or communist, I think money’s for the safety of your family and friends, and you can’t take it with you.”