How To Stay Married (So Far) Married Life When You've BOTH Been CANCELLED!How To Stay Married (So Far) Married Life When You've BOTH Been CANCELLED!
How To Stay Married (So Far)
Nadia Sawalha and Mark Adderley talk about both being cancelled over their Palestine advocacy, how it affects their mental health and marriage, and why they stick with sobriety through the chaos. Their conversation mixes anger, relief and humour while questioning what keeps them going as a couple under constant pressure.
40:33•9 Oct 2026
Cancelled, Sober and Still Married: Nadia and Mark Keep Going
Episode Overview
- Both describe losing mainstream roles – TV for Nadia and party roles for Mark – as a direct result of their advocacy for Palestine.
- Nadia feels angry but oddly relieved, saying she does not miss her former TV job and had already "emotionally" separated from it.
- Mark speaks openly about feeling deeply hurt, exhausted and at times wondering what the point of continuing the fight is.
- They stress how vital shared politics and values have become for their marriage under intense public and political pressure.
- Sobriety is maintained despite stress, with Mark acknowledging fleeting longing for the old ritual of drinking but not for alcohol itself.
“"Emotionally, I cancelled you before you cancelled me."”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Here, long‑married couple Nadia Sawalha and Mark Adderley talk candidly about what happens to a relationship when both partners are "cancelled" at the same time – and how they keep going without reaching for a drink. The chat is loose, funny, sweary and raw. Mark talks about losing his Green Party role after media accusations and suspensions, describing the emotional toll of being branded something he insists he is not.
Nadia shares how her advocacy for Palestine has cost her long‑standing television work, including Loose Women, yet she says, "I categorically have not thought once, oh God, I wish I was on Loose Women." Instead, she talks about the strange relief of no longer carrying "a very heavy weight" and the anger of feeling bullied by powerful groups and corporate gaslighting.
One standout line says it all: "Emotionally, I cancelled you before you cancelled me." Mark admits he feels exhausted, sometimes wondering, "what's the point of it all?" Nadia recognises the signs of his bipolar lows and talks about the tightrope between letting a partner crash and protecting their mental health. Together they reflect on how shared politics has become essential to their marriage, especially under the pressure of activism, online smears and legal battles.
Sobriety sits quietly but clearly in the background. Mark jokes they can't just "go to the pub and get slaughtered" when it all feels too much, and he notes he hasn’t once thought "give me a drink" through any of this. They talk instead about finding other ways to step away from themselves – walks, dogs, simple moments – even when the old lure of numbing out briefly flickers.
If you're juggling recovery, relationships, activism or just that sense of being worn down by life, this conversation might leave you asking: when everything feels stacked against you, what keeps you and your partner moving forward together?
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