Elis, 42, had seen fellow comedian Isy, 44, in Peep Show before they both performed at a gig in 2009. Engaged since 2016, they have two children and live in London
Isy and Elis … ‘It’s nice to be with someone who appreciates those feelings of self-doubt.’hen comedians Isy and Elis met at a standup gig in Barnstaple in 2009, the first thing she noticed wasn’t his humorous charm, but his Ribena-soaked jacket. “I was excited to be booked alongside Isy because I’d seen her on Peep Show,” says Elis. But while driving from his home in Cardiff, disaster had struck. “There was a carton of Ribena between my legs and I had to brake suddenly,” he laughs.
They became Facebook friends and, although they both fancied each other, Elis’s profile said he was in a relationship, so Isy didn’t think anything would come of it. “I’d actually come out of a relationship 18 months earlier but hadn’t changed my status. It was back when Facebook would announce your breakup to the world with a broken heart. I didn’t want messages from people I went to school with telling me there’s plenty more fish in the sea.
They arranged to meet in London, where Isy lived, a few weeks later. “We went to a pub in Oval. It was the best date I’d ever been on,” he says. Even slipping on ice and bruising his coccyx couldn’t dampen the mood. “When I fell, I swore in Welsh, but I told her it meant ‘Jesus Christ’,” he says. “Afterwards, I think I knew we were going to be together for ever, and I never really even believed in that before.”They quickly realised they wanted to be together, but the timing wasn’t ideal.