Sharon Horgan opened up about a cheeky act of revenge on an unfaithful ex and admitted she wishes she had ended her marriage sooner.
Sharon Horgan has revealed how she got the ultimate revenge on an ex-boyfriend who cheated on her — by giving the woman he was involved with a role as an extra.
The Bad Sisters creator, 56, recalled the cheeky move while discussing whether anyone from her own life had ever recognized themselves in her work.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Horgan admitted that one former boyfriend had contacted her after she cast a woman he had been seeing behind her back in one of her productions.
And rather than feeling embarrassed about the awkward situation, the Irish actress said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Asked by Richard Eden whether anyone had recognized themselves in her work, Horgan revealed: “An ex-boyfriend of mine got in touch.”
“It was a bit awkward… I cast one of the girls he had been with whilst he was with me as an extra.”
She added that the woman knew about the situation and had no problem with it.
“It was just the best fun for me. And so he got in touch about seeing this girl. But she was in on it. She was really fine about it,” Horgan said.
The candid admission offered a glimpse into the personal experiences behind the writer’s sharp observations about relationships, betrayal and complicated romantic lives.
Known for creating comedies and dramas that explore the messy side of love, Horgan has frequently drawn on the uncomfortable realities of relationships in her work.
Her latest revelation suggests that, on at least one occasion, real life provided an opportunity for a little creative revenge.
Horgan reflects on her marriage and divorce
The actress has also spoken openly about her own romantic history, including her separation from businessman Jeremy Rainbird.
The couple married in 2005 and remained together for 14 years before splitting in 2019.
Looking back, Horgan has admitted that her biggest regret about the marriage was not that it ended, but that she did not make the decision to leave sooner.
Speaking on Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail podcast, she described the separation as something that had been a long time coming.
“I guess it was one of those things that was a long time coming,” she said.
Horgan explained that confidence played a role in her decision-making, along with the tension between what someone believes they should do and what their instincts are telling them.
She compared the situation to the complicated relationship dynamics explored in Catastrophe, one of the successful series associated with her career.
“We got together, we had a baby, and we made it work for a long time. We had another baby, and he was involved in the business,” she explained.
“But there came a point where it was so clear that it wasn’t right for either of us.”
The actress suggested that her upbringing and religious conditioning may also have influenced her reluctance to end the marriage.
She recalled holding on to the idea that divorce was something to avoid, even when a relationship was no longer working.
“I don’t know whether it’s being slightly a bit Catholic — some of that stuff still being in me was just that idea of not getting divorced,” she said.
“You don’t get divorced. Just stay in it — it’s so much harder to go through all that, to go through a divorce.”
‘I’ve never been happier’
Despite the difficulties surrounding the end of her marriage, Horgan said she is now happier than ever.
However, she admitted that she still feels frustrated with herself for not recognizing the situation earlier.
“It’s an odd one because I’ve never been happier, but I’m still angry at myself — not really for the failure of the marriage, but for not figuring it out earlier,” she said.
Horgan reflected on how much time people can spend trying to maintain relationships that are no longer healthy or fulfilling.
“It’s so destructive. You get one life and that’s an awful lot of time to spend on something that’s not working,” she explained.
She also acknowledged that the end of a marriage can bring a difficult mix of emotions, particularly when someone looks back and questions decisions they made years earlier.
Although she expressed regret about the time spent in an unhappy relationship, she was careful not to describe the entire experience as a failure.
“Yes it failed, but it had such a positive impact on my life,” she said.
Horgan also spoke candidly about the practical consequences of divorce, describing the process as exhausting and expensive.
“The stuff that’s less fun is the business of divorce. It’s debilitating, time-consuming, money draining. It’s not fun for anyone,” she said.
Her comments highlighted the complicated reality of ending a long-term relationship, even when both people recognize that separating is the right decision.