A Gavin & Stacey star once left James Corden in “tears” during a milestone event in Mexico in a moment he described as “so special”.
In a recent interview with The Big Issue, James and sitcom co-star Ruth Jones opened up about their “really strong” off-screen friendship, which has endured for more than two decades.
Despite their long friendship, they had to part ways to work on different shows after season three of the popular BBC series. It was also prior to James jetting off to the US, where he hosted The Late Late Show until 2023.
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However, when James’ wife threw him a party for his 40th birthday, he was treated to a “special” surprise that left him in “tears”. James said: “My wife organised a surprise birthday party for me in Mexico. Lots of my friends walked in with a mariachi band playing.
“Then my wife said there’s one more person here. Ruth walked into the room and I just burst into tears. I couldn’t believe she was there. It was so special.”
James and co-star Ruth Jones opened up about their “really strong” off-screen friendship -Credit:Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images
James went on to reveal that the Welsh actress sang ‘Wild Thing’ with the band, saying she was “properly grinding” and it was “so filthy”.
In May, James revealed that Gavin & Stacey would return to our screens one more time on Christmas Day this year. The show ran from 2007 to 2010, with a Christmas special in 2019.
In the episode, Ruth’s character, Vanessa Shanessa “Nessa” Jenkins, proposed to James’ character, Neil “Smithy” Smith. James told the publication that the 2024 episode would be the “culmination of a 20-year love story”.
The pair also starred in the series Fat Friends prior to the much-loved sitcom before striking out to work on separate projects that included Ruth’s stint on the Sky One comedy-drama Stella.
James went on to reveal that the Welsh actress sang ‘Wild Thing’ with the band -Credit:Getty Images
Meanwhile, James became a recognisable face stateside due to his presenting work, which also included Carpool Karaoke. The segment saw the actor singing along to popular songs with a raft of celebrities while travelling in a car.
The 2019 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special secured the highest overnight festive ratings in 12 years, attracting around 11.6 million viewers, but these figures would only increase.
In 2020, the episode’s ratings had shot even further to 17.1 million, meaning it became the most-viewed scripted programme of the decade, reports Chronicle Live.
Gavin And Stacey: The Finale will air on Christmas Day from 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.