Laurence Fox has revealed his half-Kuwaiti girlfriend of five months, Sara McKinnon dumped him over his controversial race rant on Question Time in January.
The actor, 41, split from the dual-heritage photographer and fashion designer, 39, shortly after his TV appearance, but they are now thought to have reconciled and were pictured linking arms on April 22.
Laurence told the Sunday Times magazine that McKinnon ended the relationship after the incident and said his comments ’caused a lot of stress for his family’.
The star had said during the interview, conducted at his flat pre-lockdown, that he was dating Telegraph journalist Madeline Grant, who also appeared on the panel during that fateful night on Question Time.
Upset: Laurence Fox has revealed he was DUMPED by his half-Kuwaiti girlfriend Sara McKinnon over his controversial Question Time race rant in January – although they are since thought to have reconciled (pictured together on April 22)
Controversial: Laurence was a guest panellist on Question Time when an audience member called him a ‘white, privileged male’ and he called her description of him ‘racist’
It is not clear how long the brief romance lasted, but they have now split, and he is believed to have reconciled his relationship with McKinnon.
The Mail On Sunday revealed over the weekend that the recently reconciled couple are now staying at Laurence’s home in London, where his children, Winston, 11, and Eugene, eight, from his marriage to Billie Piper, 37, also spend time.
The pair had been spotted at several upmarket showbiz events together, including the GQ magazine fashion dinner in January.
Friends said he is ‘very happy’ with Miss McKinnon, the daughter of the Emmy award-winning nature documentary producer Michael McKinnon.
Fall-out: Laurence admitted his brother-in-law, half-Nigerian comedian Richard Ayoade was ‘furious’ with his following his comments – he is married to his sister Lydia (pictured in 2012)
One said: ‘He has had a good feeling about her, it is delightful to see him happy after everything he has been through.’
Laurence also said in the Sunday Times interview that he had fallen out with his brother-in-law, half-Nigerian comedian Richard Ayoade, 42, who is married to his sister Lydia.
He revealed he didn’t attend Sunday lunch at their house for a few weekends, as a result of their feud but they have since become friends again.
Back and forth: Laurence’s interview with The Sunday Times had been conducted pre-lockdown and he had said he was dating journalist Madeline Grant, but they have since split
Fancy meeting you here: Madeline was on the far left of the Question Time panel when Laurence appeared on the show
Love: Laurence pictured with Sara at the GQ Men’s Dinner on January 6
He said: ‘[He] was furious. He told me I have never encountered racism. I responded. “Yeah, of course I have”. I’ve encountered racism from black people towards me, when I was working in Kenya [as a safari driver] for seven months.
‘It’s the way you’re spoken to. Racism can be deferential.’
Laurence has had a very chequered love life over the years.
He was married to actress Billie, the mother of his two children, from December 2007 – May 2016 and has said he surprised he didn’t twig ‘how inappropriate they were for one another sooner.’
She is now living with rock star Johnny Lloyd and they have a daughter Tallulah, together.
In December 2016, before his divorce was finalised, he split from Vogue Williams, 34, after a brief romance, saying they would ‘remain friends.’ She is now married to Spencer Matthews, 31.
In August 2018, Laurence and DJ Lilah Parsons, 32, called it quits following a 10-month romance, due to ‘clashing work schedules’.
Back in February, he said he would never date a woman under the age of 35 because they are ‘too woke’.
He also revealed he once dumped a partner because she liked a pro-#MeToo advert made by shaving firm Gillette, although he didn’t reveal who that was.
Chequered love life: Laurence was famously married to Billie Piper from 2007-2016 and they have two sons together (pictured in October 2012)
Laurence was famously a guest panellist on Question Time when an audience member called him a ‘white, privileged male’ and he called her description of him ‘racist’.
He had entered into a debate about how Meghan Markle is portrayed in the media, sparking a race row about white male privilege while on Question Time.
The actor had called possible bias coverage towards the Duchess of Sussex ‘boring’ and accused an audience of racism for calling him a white privileged male.
Laurence also hit out at the inclusion of a turban-wearing soldier in Sam Mendes film 1917 – he later apologised for this.
He told The Sunday Times that this was why actor don’t get involved in chats like this because he’s ‘not smart enough to do it.’
All over: In August 2018, Laurence and DJ Lilah Parsons, 32, called it quits following a 10-month romance, due to ‘clashing work schedules’ – pictured in July 2018
Meanwhile, a couple of weeks after Laurence’s fateful appearance on the show, he appeared on Good Morning Britain to apologise to the Sikh community.
He had claimed the inclusion of a turban-wearing soldier in Sam Mendes film 1917 was ‘incongruous’ – but in a follow up tweet said ‘I stand by everything else I said’.
The outspoken actor made the comment about the critically-acclaimed film in a podcast on Saturday while being interviewed by James Delingpole.
When asked about his remarks by GMB hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid the next day about whether the inclusion of the character was historically out-of-place, he replied: ‘I’m not a historian I don’t know.’
All over: In December 2016, before his divorce was finalised, he split from Vogue Williams, 34, after a brief romance, saying they would ‘remain friends’
Sikh historian Peter Singh Bance told MailOnline that Fox should ‘check his facts’, saying: ‘Laurence Fox is incorrect with his facts as Sikhs did fight with British forces, not just with their own regiments.’
The Lewis star had posted on his Twitter account and apologised for the ‘clumsy way’ he expressed himself.
He said: ‘Fellow humans who are #Sikhs. I am as moved by the sacrifices your relatives made as I am by the loss of all those who die in war, whatever creed or colour.
‘Please accept my apology for being clumsy in the way I have expressed myself over this matter in recent days.’
But in a follow up tweet soon after, he said: ‘I stand by everything else I said and will continue to do so. Sleep well.’
Sikh soldiers were present at some of the conflict’s bloodiest battles, including Ypres and the Somme.
