Jim Davidson insisted his relationship with new girlfriend Maria Rice-Mundy is not a rebound as the couple made their first official night out in London.
The 72-year-old comedian and television presenter stepped out with Rice-Mundy, 60, on Sunday night for the Water Rats Annual Ball at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in central London. Rice-Mundy wore a red sequin gown while Davidson wore a suit for the occasion.
Speaking to the Daily Mail on Monday, Davidson rejected claims that the relationship was a reaction to his split from former partner Natasha, 49, known as Tash, which was reported in September.
"This is not a rebound at all. My ex, Tash and I broke up long before it was actually reported and it was on and off for a while," Davidson said.
Maria Rice-Mundy and the Water Rats Annual Ball
Davidson said his romance with Rice-Mundy has no formal expectations. "What I like about Maria is that there are no rules. We are not getting engaged, we are not about to elope and we are not putting labels on things," he said.
"She is the oldest woman I've dated and I am the oldest man she's dated. We've been friends for many years and we have a laugh together. We get along great and we're just happy going forward together."
Rice-Mundy was in the background of the telephone call while the couple ate a breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast after their night out. Davidson joked, "We've been busy having lots of sex," before Rice-Mundy roared, "Don't say that." Laughing, Davidson added: "No, we're just having a really nice time together."
At Sunday's charity gala, the pair were joined by their friend Lizzie Cundy, 58, who posed for photographs with them. The Water Rats Annual Ball is hosted by the Grand Order of Water Rats, the British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation founded in 1889.
Television career and decades of friendship
Rice-Mundy was recently crowned Ms Great Britain Classic 2026, and Davidson said she "certainly turned a few heads" during the evening. In the late 1980s, she co-hosted the television game shows Sale of the Century and Bob's Your Uncle alongside the late comedian and presenter Bob Monkhouse.
Davidson, who became a household name in Britain hosting BBC game shows Big Break and The Generation Game and won Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, said he has known Rice-Mundy for decades.
"Maria's not a new lady. I've known her for years. In fact, I gatecrashed her wedding 30 years ago. She is too good to be true," he previously told the Daily Mail.
"I'll be honest, I am not short of ladies who want to date me but Maria has something special about her. She makes me feel like I'm not as useless as I've been made out to be," Davidson said, adding: "But I will say, if my ex Tash is ever in the s**t, she can call me and I'll be there for her."
Cancelled Hampton Court wedding and £10,000 deposit
Davidson admitted he is still recovering from the end of his relationship with Natasha, which led him to cancel their planned wedding at Hampton Court Palace and lose a £10,000 deposit. Across his five previous marriages, he has racked up £60 million in divorce costs.
His choice of Hampton Court Palace was a nod to his marital history, as the venue was the home of King Henry VIII, who had six wives. While his plan to marry for a sixth time is off, Davidson called the break-up a "grown up separation" caused by clashing schedules and said there is "no bad blood" between them.
"It takes a while to get over something like this. Maria and I have had some dinners together and we are seeing how it goes," Davidson said.
"Natasha dumped me three months ago," he added, noting that she told him he had given her no choice, before continuing: "To be honest it was up and down and we would split up every month. I would just like to not be lonely. I hadn't actually seen Nat much this year and Maria is a fantastic person to go out to lunch with."
Nigel Farage party and divorce from Michelle Cotton
Davidson began dating Natasha, who worked as a freelance assistant on his streaming channel Ustreme at ustreme.com, early in 2024 following his split from his fifth wife of 14 years, Michelle Cotton.
When he attended Nigel Farage's 60th birthday party at Boisdale's in Canary Wharf with Natasha, he told guests he was "completely smitten" and had found "the one", urging friends to "tell her she should marry me". He also renamed his £350,000 yacht from Princess Mitchie, after Cotton, to Lady Natasha.
Taking to the stage at the party, Davidson joked about his past wives and said he had room for another, telling the audience: "I've just got my divorce through and I'm here with my new girlfriend."
Davidson married Cotton in 2009 and announced their separation in April 2023 after two decades together, a split that left him devastated. When the divorce was finalised, he said in an interview on Ustreme: "There you go, the divorce came through today, so it's done. I'm divorced again, my fifth divorce. The house has been sold and that will be going through in March, fingers crossed. It's a new chapter for all of us."
Jim Davidson's five previous marriages
Davidson said he remained on good terms with Cotton and planned to visit her, provided the dogs they once shared were out of the house. "I've spoken to Michelle today and wished her the best of luck. I've arranged to take some stuff and pick up some bits and pieces," he said.
"She said I was welcome around there any time. I said I was only going to do it if the dogs weren't there so I've asked that if I call up to go round that she take the dogs for a walk because I don't want to heap any more sadness on the situation."
His first marriage was to childhood sweetheart Sue Walpole in 1971, with whom he had a daughter, Sarah Walpole-Davidson, now 51, before divorcing a year later. In 1981, he married Julie Gullick, with whom he had a son, Cameron, 41, before divorcing in 1986.
One year later, he married journalist and television presenter Alison Holloway, though the marriage lasted less than two years. His fourth marriage, in 1990 to former Page 3 model Tracy Hilton, lasted a decade and produced three children: Charlie, 34, Fred, 32, and Elsie, 31.
