Dawn O’Porter on the secret to a long marriage

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. He loved her, but he would always joke about what a horrible person she was.” Today, the couple live in LA with their two sons, Art, seven, and five-year-old Valentine, and four rescue animals – two dogs and two cats – and there was never any thought that O’Dowd would occupy a pet-free zone, she laughs. “Everything was awful anyway, so it was a case of, ‘Where do I even start with which therapy group I need?’” she says, chuckling. “My husband was sad too, and we just sat and stared at walls for a week or two, and tried to get on with it.” Her cat’s death felt like she was mourning the end of an era, O’Porter remembers. “I think the relationship people have with their pets is so intimate, when something relies on you entirely for survival and you rely on it entirely for all the pleasurable things it gives you, it’s a completely uncomplicated pure exchange of love relationship – and it’s hard to find that with people.” Now, she has two rescue tabby cats, sister and brother Myrtle and Boo, which she got as kittens after Lilu died.