Brian Cox credits separate homes for keeping marriage strong with wife Nicole

Brian Cox revealed a secret to his lasting marriage with wife Nicole Ansari-Cox.

The 79-year-old Succession star shared in a new interview with The Times that he and Ansari-Cox, 57, prefer to maintain separate homes both in the U.K. and the U.S., a nine-minute walk apart in London’s Primrose Hill and separate bedrooms in their Brooklyn and upstate New York homes.

“By keeping things separate, we are responsible for our own mess,” Cox explained.

“Her space is very important for her, and my space is very important for me. I think if we’re thrown together, we feel locked together, and that’s not a good creative relationship. You should be free.”

Cox also credited couples therapy for helping their relationship thrive. “Nicole gave up a lot for me. It was tricky for her, but she gave up a lot, and I feel that she needs to be honoured,” he said.

The couple, married in Las Vegas in 2002, are approaching their silver anniversary and share two sons, Orson, 24, and Torin, 21.

Cox is also father to daughter Margaret and son Alan from his second marriage to Caroline Burt.

Recalling their first meeting, Cox said Ansari-Cox saw him performing as King Lear in Hamburg, Germany, in 1990, and the pair connected again years later in New York. “We’re about to have our silver wedding,” he said, praising her generosity and care.

“The problem with Nicole, and we discuss this, is she’s got too many friends,” Cox added with a laugh. “At my age, I’m trying to get rid of them. Well, most of mine are dying off.”

Cox also reflected on their 2002 Las Vegas wedding, noting the charming details: the officiant’s mother played the piano, and the couple walked down the aisle to Braveheart, unaware of Cox’s Scottish roots. He joked about initially disagreeing on who should officiate.

“Nicole, I think, was reasonably keen on the idea of Elvis. I said, ‘No [pretended to censor himself] way!’”

Beyond marriage, Cox shared how he keeps physically and mentally sharp. “Gym three times a week. You really have to be responsible for your body, because it’s dying. You can’t give in to that,” he said.

"He also follows careful routines to reduce his risk of dementia, saying, “I need to learn my lines to keep working.”