Shorts and a T-shirt are a far cry from a traditional wedding outfit but John Barrowman, teary-eyed with joy, knew his spur-of-the-moment decision to get hitched was one of his smartest ever moves.
The actor was giddy with emotion as he and partner Scott Gill tied the knot in California days after the state’s ban on same-sex marriages was overturned.
They said “I do” just hours after deciding to wed. Proud and exhilarated in their casual clothes, they reflected on doing something they had once thought would be impossible.
John says: “I started welling up when we said our vows. It was the same with our civil partnership. I think it was because I never thought we’d be able to do it. Scott and I felt completely different after our civil ceremony, like we’d made a big step. But after this I feel very proud, happy and chuffed. It feels right.”
The pair, who have been together for 22 years, were one of the first same-sex couples to marry in California after the legislation was passed.
John, 46, and British architect Scott, 50, whose civil partnership ceremony was in the UK in 2006, admit that their wedding three weeks ago was not exactly planned to the last detail.
Doctor Who and Torchwood star John says: “We woke up and had a row. I can’t even remember what about – probably about one of us not doing the housework.
“Then he said, ‘Right, so when are you going to propose to me?’ And I said, ‘When am I going to propose to you? When are you going to propose to me?’ That’s when I said, ‘Come on, let’s go and do it – let’s just get it done’.”
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They announced the news in an online video before they got hitched at the Riverside County Court in Indio, just outside Palm Springs.
“It was about time. So we queued up with about 30 other couples and did it,” says John.
After the ceremony the newlyweds headed to their favourite seafood ?restaurant for fish and chips, before Scott dashed off for his daily flying lesson.
The service lasted just half an hour, but it had a profound effect.
“I got emotional during our little ceremony, but the other couples were what moved me most,” John reveals.
“The couple who witnessed for us were an 82-year-old man and a 76-year-old man. They were crying during their ceremony and we were emotional with them.
“They had been together for 44 years. The guy was the same age as my dad and he said, ‘I thought I would be dead and never see this happen’.
“Scott and I could have done it any day but what really struck me at that moment were these older couples who were desperate to marry and get their relationship legitimised. It was important to me but so vitally important to people like them who thought it would never happen in their lifetime.”
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John, who was born in Glasgow before moving with his family to Illinois when he was eight, returned to Britain to study and work.
But getting married was something he could not do here.
“I’ve always been very outspoken about this issue. I almost don’t want to describe it as ‘gay rights’ because it’s more about human rights. Maybe I would have got married in the UK, but put it this way, the UK hadn’t passed the law. And we already did our civil ?partnership here.”
Legislation in England and Wales to allow gay couples to marry was passed on July 17 and should come into force by the middle of next year.
John says: “I actually thought the UK would do it long before the United States did.” He is well aware that not everyone agrees with the changes. Alongside many messages of congratulations and support after his wedding, there was also some abuse.
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“I don’t get it,” he shrugs. “Some of the comments were outrageously vile. Quoting lines from the bible.
“I won’t tolerate it. People like that are banned on my Twitter account. I tell them to f*** off.
“People have a right to their beliefs but it doesn’t mean they have to be nasty and deny other people their human rights. The world is not going to change and fall apart because a gay couple got married. It’s a way for us to celebrate our love. That’s it.”
The couple spend much of their time in the US, sharing their home in sun-drenched Palm Springs with their dogs Jack and Harris.
Marriage means Scott, previously only allowed a visitor’s visa, will no longer have to frequently return to the UK to comply with US immigration laws.
The pair plan to honeymoon in Hawaii, but it will have to wait. The day after the wedding, John flew back to Britain to resume his work with the National Lottery. He is presenting the show on BBC1 for the third year and he remains passionate about the projects paid for by the Big Lottery Fund. Last month he met volunteers at the XLP project which runs two community buses that visit council estates in Walworth, South London, to steer teenagers away from gangs and drugs.
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John is also in demand in the US after his scene-stealing turn as Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood proved a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
It landed him roles as a psychopath in Desperate Housewives and as a resident villain in action-adventure series Arrow. He will also host celebrity reality show Sing Your Face Off – the US version of ITV programme Your Face Sounds Familiar – and has a new teatime quiz show Pressure Pad lined up for the UK next year. And he is showing no signs of slowing down. “I have tons ?of ambitions. Believe it or not, I may launch a small charter airline,” he says, flashing his trademark smile.
“Scott has been taking flying lessons every day for the last two months. It’s cost me a fortune. Now I’m catching him looking at planes online.”
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Perhaps a wedding present? “That’s an expensive wedding gift,” he laughs. “I haven’t been up in a plane with him yet. I can’t go in the car without critiquing him. He hasn’t driven me for over 20 years. I’m a control freak and I admit it wholeheartedly.
“What makes him the right person for me? I often say I’m like the sailboat bouncing up and down and he’s the keel. We are yin and yang. He’s very quiet in comparison to me. We are total opposites but we complement each other.
“I knew from the start he was the one for me. When he walked through the door I knew he was the person I would spend the rest of my life with.”
One of my favorite couples...Source with different photos
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