TWO of Britain’s best-known comedians’ on-off romance appears to have come to an end — despite previously insisting they were together for good.
Shaparak Khorsandi, formerly known professionally as Shappi, has set tongues wagging after revealing she’s been trying her luck on dating apps, suggesting her relationship with fellow comic Mark Steel is over.
But it seems the world of online romance has been anything but a barrel of laughs for the stand-up star, who admitted she’d already thrown in the towel.
Sharing a candid Instagram video about her dating disasters, she wrote: “I have come off the site because I really didn’t like who I was on it. I never thought I would hate someone for wanting ‘travel tips for Japan’”
She added the hashtags #midlifedating, #onlinedatingfail and #datingapps — but it wasn’t long before eagle-eyed followers noticed something rather surprising.
One asked: “I thought you were already in a relationship, Shappi……” Another questioned: “I thought you were with Mark Steel?”
The apparent split is particularly surprising given Mark’s declaration last year that the couple had finally cracked the secret to lasting love after years of breaking up and making up.
The former I’m A Celeb star, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2023, previously revealed his devastating health battle had brought them back together after a period apart.
Speaking to The Guardian in February 2025, Mark said: “We were no good not being together,” before insisting things were going “great” between them.
He added: “It’s lovely. You can never say with these things, but… I think it’s permanent now.”
Their rollercoaster romance also featured in his 2025 memoir, The Leopard in My House: One Man’s Adventures in Cancerland, which documented his gruelling cancer treatment and their reconciliation.
And things certainly appeared rosy in October 2024, when Shaparak shared an Instagram video showing Mark waiting at home as she returned from touring, giving fans a glimpse into their domestic bliss.
The pair had been romantically linked since at least 2022, with Shaparak previously referring to Mark as her boyfriend, but her latest dating-app confession suggests their happy ending may have been short-lived.
The Sun has approached representatives for both stars for comment.