Carol McGiffin says friends told her to get a prenup when she got engaged to husband Mark Cassidy, but the broadcaster says the agreements "undermine" marriage.
Carol McGiffin has slammed prenups for “undermining marriage” after revealing friends warned her about going down the aisle with husband Mark Cassidy.
Carol, then 48, met Mark, 22 years her junior, at a Loose Women wrap party in 2008. The pair tied the knot a decade later in a secret ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand.
But Carol says the couple actually got engaged quite fast, something her friends were concerned about. She claims reports at the time said they would “give it five minutes”.
Concerned, Carol’s friends urged her to get a “prenuptial agreement” - commonly referred to as a prenup. Speaking to Best magazine, Carol, 64, said: “Mark and I were engaged very quickly, and some of my friends warned me to get a prenup.
Carol McGiffin said she and Mark Cassidy discussed a prenup.
Carol McGiffin and husband Mark Cassidy
“Obviously they were looking out for me, but at the time I thought, ‘How is it any of your business when I’m old and ugly enough to make my own judgements?’”
So many people suggested the couple get a prenup that Mark thought it would be a good way to prove his commitment to the presenter. However, Carol said no, claiming she would have “dumped him” if she didn’t trust him.
It’s that element of trust that Carol says means she generally opposes a prenup. She says she “hates the whole idea” of the agreements because they “undermine the marriage contract”.
Carol believes that prenups “destroy any notion of trust” that existed in the relationship prior to the marriage. Although she does confess there could be people out there in a relationship just for the cash.
She questions why anyone would want to date someone they believed was likely to fleece them for money, pursuing them and then dating before marriage.
Former Loose Women panellist Carol and Mark moved to the south of France in 2016 after falling in love with a property listing. While on the show, Carol would commute to London twice a month up until her departure.
She decided to step back last year, announcing she felt as though she didn't fit in. She first appeared on the show from 2000 until her first departure in 2013, and then again from 2018 until 2023.
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV and ITVX.
