Mark Wright hits back at trolls who claim he doesn’t see wife Michelle Keegan

Mark Wright has hit back at trolls who claim he and wife Michelle Keegan never see each other, saying they always spend “quality time together” – they just don’t post about it.

The presenter, 36, told MailOnline that the public often overreacts when there’s a photo of him with Michelle, despite having been married for the past seven years and sharing their newly completed home in Essex as a couple.

Their frenetic careers, including Mark filming for a month for BBC One’s A Wright Family Holiday and presenting The Challenge UK in Argentina, as well as Michelle starring in the upcoming Netflix drama Fool Me Once and Ten Pound Poms, leave fans with the impression that they don’t spend enough time in each other’s company.

Mark insists the pair make their lifestyle work, but likes to keep the intimate moments they share at home when they relax, too, off social media.

He said, “You know what when there’s a picture of us together people will say “rare picture of Mark and Michelle” or “Mark and Michelle reunite after a while apart” we just don’t tell everyone when we spending quality time together.

“I could be in Michelle’s house for two weeks, but no one will know because I don’t necessarily post about it. We spend a lot of quality time together and we often went away for weekends. We have stuff booked up.

“We spend quality time together just like any other relationship, and I’m not just saying that…we really do.”

The couple, who married in 2015, are currently together in Ibiza, enjoying a break from their hard-working careers.

Mark admits he finds it hard to hit the pause button because he fears that one day he could lose his job and his life as he knows it will come crashing down.

Mark’s fear stems from the fact that his father Mark Snr, 66, suffered a financial loss when his children, including footballer Josh, 33, and former TOWIE star Jess, 37, were younger and the family had to “start all over again.”

During episode two of A Wright Family Holiday, where Mark, his dad and Josh visit Lincolnshire, Mark Snr explained, “When they were really young, Josh and Mark and Jessica, I was quite rich, but in 1991 there was the big crash and unfortunately we lost everything and I had to start all over again and it was very hard, especially raising three kids… it was horrible.”

Speaking to MailOnline, Mark revealed that his work ethic and feeling incapable of turning down job offers is because he never wants to go through the same pain as his father, but as a result, he pushes himself to the limit.

He said, “My dad had a pretty rough time when we were several years younger… When it comes to me, this is something they discussed with Michelle.

“They said I wasn’t there enough or made enough time for them. When I had free time, I would play golf with them or have a drink, but for the past four years… every moment of freedom I have, I’m immediately in ‘now what? What appointment do I have? What work am I wearing?’

“I hated that my father and my brother, two people I want to be proud of… that I could have let them down. They said I’ve been a little distant and they need me to be back where I am.’

Mark, Josh and Mark Snr traveled across the country for a month filming their BBC series, which airs at 8:05pm Thursday, reconnecting and opening up about topics they never dared discuss at home.

Mark’s father sadly lost his brother to Covid during the pandemic and was himself in critical condition from the disease, thankfully endured.

In the midst of his grief, Mark says his father became a shell of his former self because he refused to socialize and had given up on the adventurous life.

“My dad lost his brother and he almost died of Covid… after that my dad went into a hole,” Mark explained.

“He doesn’t show any emotion, whether he’s depressed or angry, he just holds it all in and bottled it up, like a lot of men, but he’s completely changed.

‘He was sitting at home in front of the TV, he didn’t want to go out or have new experiences. Mentally, his brother had passed away and he is next in line in age, he has two younger brothers, and it made him feel like he is not immortal.

“He’s always been a pretty young dad, but he didn’t want to go out for a drink anymore, so I wanted to take him out and show him that life isn’t over.”

Indeed, Mark has shown his father that he is still more than capable, such as bungee jumping in Scotland, skydiving in Skegness and racing jet skis, and often the 66-year-old gave his sons a run for their money.

Mark added: ‘We went away for a month and we traveled around the UK, Scotland, Northumberland, the Peak District, Cornwall, Skegness and Snowdonia, but it was incredible.

“We haven’t vacationed together in 20 years. We’ve aired things that we all had to air because we’re all pretty proud men, but there’s a point where Josh gets really upset and reveals to us that he wasn’t feeling very well, he had to get that off his chest and he did.

“We probably aired more in that one month than in our entire lives.”

• A Wright Family Holiday continues this Thursday on BBC One at 8:05pm, with all episodes now available to stream on BBC iPlayer