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15th May 2024
11:35am BST
Father Ted star and comedian Joe Rooney has announced he has married 'the love of my life' in a surprise ceremony.
Best known for his role as Fr Damo in the iconic 90's comedy series, Rooney married his partner Nera after being engaged for almost a year.
“It’s been an incredible journey, meeting, falling love with and marrying the love of my life," he wrote on social media.
“She is such a genuinely kind soul. I’m so grateful she took a chance on me.
“I’m proud to call her my wife”.
Speaking to The Irish Sun, Rooney revealed that he met his now wife online during lockdown and had originally planned to tie the knot in September this year.
“Nera is from Madrid and her family lives there. She lived in the UK for ten years and we met online," he told the publication.
Their relationship started after the 60-year-old posted a version of 'Hurt', the popular Johnny Cash cover, on Instagram and Nera liked it.
“We were messaging first, then talking on the phone for ages and eventually FaceTimed", he said.
Rooney then travelled over to the UK where she lived to perform a gig, and she eventually moved over to Ireland with him.
The comedian appeared on the Father Ted episode 'The Old Grey Whistle Theft' where his unruly priest character quickly became a cult favourite.
He also had a starring role as Timmy Higgins in the RTÉ comedy Killinaskully,
The Drogheda man has also been a well-known figure on the Irish comedy circuit for decades, travelling around the globe to perform stand-up.
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