Away from the TV sets, Celebrity Gogglebox star Clare Balding is loved-up with her wife Alice Arnold20:02, 12 Jun 2026She's one of TV’s beloved presenters, but what do we know about Clare Balding's love life?‌The TV star has been a staple on screens for years, thanks to stints on shows like the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, Crufts and Celebrity Traitors.‌Away from the TV sets, though, Clare is loved-up with her wife Alice Arnold, who appears with her on Celebrity Gogglebox.‌But why did Clare turn down an ex-boyfriend’s proposal? Where did she meet her wife Alice? And what is the one reality show Alice doesn’t want Clare to appear on? Here’s everything you need to know about Clare’s love life.Clare Balding's 'appalling' ex-boyfriendClare has previously been in relationships with men and even received a marriage proposal from one of her ex-boyfriends. However, she declined the offer and later revealed that he "behaved appallingly".‌Speaking to the Mirror, Clare shared that she had a "one very serious" boyfriend in the Army for "two or three years" before meeting Alice. He had asked her to marry him before he went on a tour of duty.She recalled: "I thought, 'He's only asking me because he thinks he's in danger'. I meant to say yes at this point. And I knew I didn't want to.“And I said, 'Look, that's a lovely thing to say, but ask me again when you come back'. When he came back, he didn't ask me again, and I thought, 'Thank God'. I thought 'I don't trust you and I'll never trust you' - and funnily enough I was absolutely spot on as his ex-wife told me not that long ago."‌She elaborated: "That relationship ended not very well, with him behaving appallingly. I think I was damaged by that, but that doesn't make you gay. I just think when I first fell in love with a woman, it was completely different."Clare and wife AliceClare met her other half, Alice, in 1999 at work, when Alice was a BBC Radio 4 announcer and newsreader. The pair were good friends at first before their relationship progressed into something more.‌Speaking to The Times in 2018, Alice admitted: "There was very little about Clare that I found attractive at first. To be honest, everything about her was wrong! She ticked all the boxes of things I tend to avoid and didn't have any of the qualities I thought I needed in a partner."Fast forward to 2006, and before gay marriage was legalised in the UK, Clare and Alice entered into a civil partnership, celebrating with friends and family in an 18th-century Palladian villa in Chiswick. Then, nine years later, in April 2015, the couple married in a private ceremony at the same venue.Talking about her marriage on The Jonathan Ross Show, Clare said: "It's about equality. It's just about knowing that you can and knowing that you can say: 'I'm married', and nobody's going to think that's married in inverted commas, no, that, actually, married. I think it's great."‌Sharing their secret to a happy marriage with The Mirror, Clare said: "We are very easy together. We don't row. I don't know how we achieve that, but I don't think there is a secret. You're on this wonderful adventure together."Alice’s 'ultimatum' for ClareClare also previously revealed that her wife Alice has “strong feelings” about not wanting Clare to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.‌“When the request came through, she said, 'You can say yes to that if you like, but I won't be here when you come back,” Clare told Alison Hammond for the Smart TV podcast.This Morning's Alison then said she understood the "ultimatum" and claimed the show "does split people up", seemingly referring to the so-called Strictly curse.Alison went on to suggest that watching a partner dance with somebody else "has got to hurt a little", to which Clare agreed.‌Why haven’t Clare and Alice had childrenClare and Alice don’t have any children together, and Clare has previously spoken about their decision not to have kids. In an interview with the Radio Times back in 2015, the TV presenter said she "never had that urge".She shared: “I have never wanted children. It’s my choice, but of course it’s not something that’s going to happen by accident.Article continues below“Yes, it could happen if I wished it to. I have two nephews, a niece and eight godchildren, and I love that. But I don’t want kids. I just never had that urge."Celebrity Gogglebox airs every Friday at 9pm on Channel 4.