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Ben Shephard, 51, has admitted wife Annie is "much happier in her own company" in a rare marriage update. The This Morning presenter has been married to his other half for over two decades, and the couple share two sons, Sam, 21, and Jack, 19.

The star, who is fronting new ITV challenge series The Summit, is often very private about his home life, but, in a new interview, he opened up about him and Annie living "separate lives".

Explaining their differing attitudes towards spending time together, and Annie's disinterest in getting involved in the showbiz side of his career, Ben shared: "Annie is much more solitary than me.

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"She’s much happier in her own company. Half the time she’s like, 'I need a bit of space. Can you leave me alone for five seconds, please?'"

However, Ben was keen to point out to the Daily Mail's Weekend magazine that, despite their differences, Annie is the "most important factor in our lives as a family".

Ben and Annie are currently preparing for the "imminent" moment that they become "empty-nesters", with their son Jack working as a teaching assistant before going off travelling, and their eldest child, Sam, currently studying maths at university.

The couple already have a quieter house, and fitness enthusiast Ben shared: "We do live quite separate lives.

"I’m off working, she has her job, which is garden and interior design. If I’ve got spare time I want to do something physical."

Although Ben is more keen to go for a run and play golf in his free time, while Annie prefers to visit art galleries and gardens, the Tipping Point host told the publication that they're working on finding activities that they can enjoy together when their sons are away.

The star revealed: "It’s about finding things that work for both of us – but as I say, that feels really exciting."

Ben's candid marriage insight comes after he became emotional live on This Morning while discussing his son Jack's 19th birthday.

When his co-host, Cat Deeley, asked how Annie was feeling about the milestone occasion, Ben shared a moment of nostalgia, telling viewers: "They had a big party, but it's that moment where...a friend of ours messaged us saying that 19 years ago, Annie held Jack in her arms for the first time.

"It was quite a moment, like...'Wow, he's got so big so fast!'"

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