The local legend opened up in an emotional interview.
Phoebe Hobbs and Nikki Onafuye
13:25, 13 Dec 2025
(Image: Mirror)
Mary Portas has revealed that her brother Lawrence is the biological father of her son in an emotional interview on Jamie Laing’s podcast. The ‘Mary, Queen of Shops’ star, who lives just outside Stroud, fought back tears as she spoke about her family arrangement on the Great Company podcast.
Mary, 65, jokingly made it clear that her brother didn’t have relations with her former wife Melanie Rickey but shared her wish to “have a bloodline” when starting a family with Melanie.
“So, Mel decided she wanted a child, and I was very clear that I wanted to have a bloodline,” explained Mary, who is also mother to twins Mylo and Verity from her previous marriage to Graham Portas.
“I wanted, if I was going to have another child, I wanted to make sure that it was related in some way and biologically related to my other kids.”
She revealed because of the “particular bond” she has with her younger brother Lawrence, who “didn’t particularly want to have children”, she approached him to become her sperm donor.
“He looked after me,” she said. “It was a real symbiosis. And Lawrence turned up to the old donor place and said, ‘Done it, sis!'”.
Mary also noted that her son Horatio, who was carried by Mel and born in 2012, bears a striking resemblance to her family. “Lawrence lives abroad now, but he rings us regularly and they talk about football,” she added.
“God, it’s so boring!” Mary was visibly moved as she reminisced about the moment Lawrence first held Horatio. “The most beautiful time is when, you know… he came into the world and I rang Lawrence and Lawrence turned up and picked him up.
“And it was like, it was his gift to me. God, I get emotional. It was his gift. And it was the greatest gift.”
Mary and Melanie parted ways after 17 years, selling their joint £5million north London property. Their son was born six years ago.
In a public statement regarding their separation, the pair said: “After 17 years together we have decided to separate. There is no one else involved.
“We have spent the last year consciously managing our separation in as good-heartedly, open, and mature a way as possible to ensure a smooth, amicable evolution for us.
“We remain a family, and are committed co-parents to three wonderful humans (plus Walter the dog! ) who are our priority. We remain good friends, and will share much together going forward.”
Mary began her relationship with Melanie in 2003. She had previously been wed to Graham Portas, who is the father of her two grown-up children.
Their marriage of 13 years ended during that same period. The television personality and former government consultant discussed realising her authentic sexuality upon falling for her future spouse.
“It wasn’t a case of, ‘Ooh, I’ve been thinking about Linda Evangelista.’ So in one way, it was just about Melanie. But there was a sexual attraction. I do love women. What surprised me after was that so many women are fluid in this way. I’d meet them and they’d say, ‘I was married, now I’m with a woman’.”