Film producer Dee Koppang has revealed that broadcaster Lauren Laverne helped get her together with her husband Dermot O'Leary when their romance began in 2002.
Speaking in an interview with The Times, Koppang, 47, gave a rare account of the early days of her relationship with the television presenter, 53, explaining that the pair first kissed at her first wrap party.
The couple, who usually keep their family life out of the public eye, married in 2012 after a decade together and welcomed their son, Kasper, in 2020. The family live in London.
Koppang explained that she and O'Leary first crossed paths in 1999 while she was completing work experience at a television production company where he also worked. They met briefly in a lift and bumped into each other again a year later.
Their romantic relationship did not begin until 2002, when both found themselves employed at the same production company. At the time, Koppang was working as a researcher and production co-ordinator, while O'Leary was fronting a television music show called Re:covered.
"Dermot and I kissed at my first wrap party and have been together ever since," Koppang told The Times.
The Islington house-share with Lauren Laverne and Anita Rani
When the romance started, Koppang was living in a shared house in Islington, North London, alongside Lauren Laverne and Anita Rani, who were both budding television and radio presenters at the start of their broadcasting careers.
"Lauren was actually quite instrumental in getting us together," Koppang explained. "The girlfriend of one of Dermot's best friends had moved in with us, so our friendship groups were overlapping."
Both of Koppang's former flatmates went on to become prominent figures in British broadcasting. Laverne, who first found fame in the 1990s as the frontwoman of the indie rock band Kenickie, built a long-running career on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC television. Rani later became one of the BBC's best-known presenters as a co-host of Countryfile and presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
O'Leary became a household name in the United Kingdom through his work on Channel 4's T4 and Big Brother's Little Brother before spending more than a decade hosting ITV's flagship singing competition The X Factor and co-presenting This Morning. Koppang established her own career behind the camera as a producer and director across major television dramas, documentaries and live broadcast events.
New York proposal and Kent church wedding
After nine years together, O'Leary proposed to Koppang after getting down on one knee during a trip to New York in 2011. Although the couple initially kept the news private, their engagement was revealed publicly on television by presenter Caroline Flack.
Flack, who co-hosted the ITV2 spin-off programme The Xtra Factor while O'Leary presented the main show on ITV, announced the couple's engagement on air during the programme. O'Leary and Koppang married a year later in 2012 at St Mary's Church in Chiddingstone, a historic village in Kent.
Dermot O'Leary on fatherhood and family life in London
Eight years after their wedding, the couple welcomed their son Kasper, who is now six. O'Leary has previously spoken to The Times about becoming a father later in life and how raising a young child requires constant physical energy.
"I turned 50 this year and being a dad to a three-year-old can be full-on," O'Leary said in the earlier interview. "A mate who had twins just before Kasper arrived told me, 'Don't worry about how old you are, just make sure you stay in shape.' And he's right."
He recalled a family outing to the Royal Air Force Museum in North London, which houses historic aircraft and aviation exhibits. "I took Kasper to the RAF Museum the other week and it was like an Olympic sprint, dashing from one exhibit to the next," O'Leary said. "As soon as we came out he said: 'Can we go round again?'"
Shifting priorities after welcoming son Kasper
O'Leary also explained that because Koppang's work as a producer means the pair are not always at home at the same time, they prioritise their evenings together with Kasper and enjoy everyday parenting tasks.
"Dee's work means that we're not always together but, those evenings when we are, we make the most of spending proper time together as a family," he said. "I can't understand those parents who don't enjoy changing nappies or crawling around on the carpet pretending to be a racing car. Isn't that the absolute joy of being a parent?"
The broadcaster added that welcoming his son shifted his outlook away from material possessions, including cars, technology and records by the Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, towards time spent at home.
"Having a child has changed what I want from life and what makes me happy," O'Leary said. "Do I need another car? The latest gadget? A bit of vintage Van Morrison vinyl? No, forget the material stuff. What I want is to be with the people I love. Being a dad puts the world in perspective."
