BURY comedienne Victoria Wood has separated from her husband Geoffrey Durham.

The couple announced their split after 22 years of marriage and said they were parting "with great sadness".

A spokesman for them said: "The separation is entirely amicable, no other parties are involved."

Victoria's biographer, Bury Times reporter Neil Brandwood, said he was surprised by the news.

"Her own parents had an unhappy marriage, which affected Victoria as a child so I think she tried to cancel that out by working hard to make her own marriage a success," he said.

"She will obviously be disappointed, but at least their separation spared her own children from experiencing what she experienced."

The couple met in summer 1976 at the Phoenix Theatre in Leicester. Geoffrey was playing Buffalo Bill in a show called Gunslinger and Victoria was a last-minute addition to the cast when the musical director dropped out.

Neil said: "The marriage was extremely low-key. The ceremony was held at Lancaster Register Office with just a couple of close friends as witnesses and the "reception" was held in the cafe across the road. They didn't even have a memento of the day because they left the photographs on the bus."

He added: "Victoria was reluctant to get married in the first place and she said she only went through with it to stop the arguments. The ceremony took place on March 1, 1980, but she had originally wanted it on February 29 so the anniversary would only occur on Leap Years."

Victoria is expected to remain in her Highgate mansion with her children Grace (14) and Henry (10).

Victoria Wood: The Biography, by Neil Brandwood, is published by Virgin and is available at Waterstone's in Bury and all good book shops.