Andrew Millican might not be a household name, but his connection to one of Britain’s most beloved comedians has kept people curious about him for over two decades. As the ex-husband of Sarah Millican, Andrew inadvertently played a role in launching one of the most successful comedy careers in recent British entertainment history. Ironic, right?
Their marriage ended abruptly in 2004, leaving Sarah heartbroken but ultimately setting her on a path to stardom. The devastating split became the foundation for Sarah’s breakthrough comedy show, which won her the prestigious Best Newcomer award at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. What started as a personal tragedy transformed into comedy gold worth an estimated $5 million.
But what about Andrew himself? Where is he now, and what’s his story beyond being “Sarah Millican’s ex-husband”? Let’s dive into everything we know about this elusive figure who’s managed to completely vanish from public life.
Andrew Millican Biography
Andrew Millican was born in the early 1970s in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England, making him approximately 51-52 years old today. He’s a British national of Caucasian descent who grew up in a coastal town in northeast England. Beyond these basic facts, Andrew remains mysterious.
He attended South Tyneside College, where he studied business and management. His education served him well in the corporate world, where he worked as a civil servant for the Department for Work and Pensions in Newcastle. That’s where his life intersected with Sarah’s in the mid-1990s, both working in government jobs when they first crossed paths.
Andrew has deliberately avoided the spotlight. He’s maintained complete privacy since the divorce, with no social media presence, no interviews, and no public statements. There’s no Wikipedia page, no verified online profiles; nothing exists in the digital space.
His sister Michelle even suggested to the Daily Mail in 2013 that Andrew may have changed his name entirely to avoid being linked with Sarah’s growing fame.
Andrew Millican Weds Sarah Millican
The story of Andrew and Sarah began in 1994 at a cinema on the outskirts of Newcastle. Sarah was 21, working the popcorn stand while also holding down a job as a secretary at a job centre. Andrew was also 21, balancing his civil service position at the same time. They connected over their shared experiences in government work, and the relationship quickly blossomed.
It wasn’t exactly a glamorous beginning: two young civil servants grinding away at modest-paying jobs. But they found something real in each other, or at least they thought they did. The couple dated for three years before deciding to make it official.
On November 5, 1997, Andrew and Sarah tied the knot in South Shields. They settled into a modest flat together, continuing their work as civil servants while building what they hoped would be a happy life together. Sarah has described those early years as genuinely happy, which makes what came later all the more shocking.
Andrew Millican Divorce Sarah Millican
For seven years, Andrew and Sarah’s marriage appeared stable from the outside. They lived their quiet lives in South Shields, working their government jobs, doing what millions of other couples do: paying bills, watching telly, going through the daily routines that make up a life together.
But on March 21, 2004, everything changed. Andrew told Sarah he didn’t love her anymore and was leaving. He packed his bags and walked out, ending their marriage just before what would have been their seventh anniversary. The timing made the betrayal particularly painful.
Multiple sources claim Andrew left Sarah for another woman, though it’s worth noting that Sarah herself has never explicitly confirmed this detail in her public statements. She’s remained notably diplomatic when discussing the split, characterising it as “unexpected” and “really sad” while avoiding specifics. What she has made clear is that she had no idea Andrew was unhappy and that he never gave her a chance to work on the marriage or save it.
The devastation was immediate and overwhelming. Sarah, then 29 years old, moved back in with her parents for two and a half years. She’s been remarkably candid about the mental health struggles that followed, describing herself as “sort of broken” and revealing that she cried frequently and struggled with depression and anxiety.
Andrew’s Disappearance from Public Life
Here’s where Andrew’s story gets really interesting, or frustrating, depending on your perspective. Since the divorce, he’s essentially vanished. Not just from Sarah’s life, but from public life entirely.
His sister Michelle provided some revealing insights in a 2013 interview, describing Andrew as “very secretive and private.” She noted that he rarely contacted family or friends and would disappear for long periods, seemingly unaware that his absence strained relationships. Even more troublingly, she revealed that Andrew was absent during their mother’s final days and delayed showing up to their father’s funeral.
Michelle’s suggestion that Andrew may have changed his name adds another layer of mystery to his story. If true, it would explain why there’s been absolutely no trace of him for over a decade. No one knows his current location, occupation, or whether he’s remarried or had children. He’s maintained complete radio silence: no interviews, no social media, no public sightings.
That 2013 Daily Mail interview remains the last verified information anyone has about Andrew Millican.
Sarah’s Rise from the Ashes
While Andrew disappeared into obscurity, Sarah did the exact opposite. The divorce that destroyed her world became the catalyst for an extraordinary career transformation.
Just months after the split in September 2004, Sarah began attending writing workshops at Newcastle’s Live Theatre and the Customs House in South Shields. Her counsellor played a crucial role here, recognising that Sarah’s pain contained comedy gold. “What I’d said was actually really funny, and might make a joke,” her therapist told her, helping Sarah see that her devastation could be transformed into material.
Sarah started performing stand-up that same year, channelling her heartbreak into jokes. She’s been clear that she didn’t use comedy as therapy; she maintained actual counselling throughout, but the stage gave her a place to process what happened publicly and find meaning in the pain.
Four years later, in 2008, Sarah took her debut show, “Sarah Millican’s Not Nice,” to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show was heavily based on her divorce, turning Andrew’s departure into comedy that resonated with audiences. Critics praised her “gags-per-minute count” and ability to be “cruel yet likeable.” Most importantly, she won the comedy award for Best Newcomer, launching her into the mainstream.
From there, Sarah’s career skyrocketed. She’s won the British Comedy Award for Queen of Comedy, received two BAFTA nominations, and been named one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK. Her “Chatterbox Live” DVD became the highest-selling female comedian DVD of all time, and over 1.3 million people have seen her live shows since 2010.
Here’s something that might surprise you: two decades after the divorce, Sarah still cries about it regularly. She’s remarkably open about this, revealing in recent interviews that she cries daily at random times and has maintained counselling for over 16 years since the split.
“At the moment, I cry daily. At random times. I’ve had a counsellor for a long time and will always, because I find them sort of helpful, and I’m really interested in how my brain works,” Sarah shared in a podcast interview. She explained that when she got divorced, she knew she needed help working through things so she’d be ready if she ever met someone new.
Her most famous quote about the divorce comes from a 2012 interview: “Can you imagine if he hadn’t left me? I’d still be in the job I hated, watching telly in a damp flat. I had to go really low to come back up.” It’s a bittersweet acknowledgement that Andrew’s departure, however painful, fundamentally changed her life for the better.
Sarah’s story doesn’t end with heartbreak, thankfully. In 2006, just two years after her divorce, she met fellow comedian Gary Delaney at her second-ever comedy gig. Talk about timing.
Andrew Millican’s Net Worth and Career
This is where things get tricky. Andrew’s net worth is completely unknown because he’s maintained total privacy about his life post-divorce. We know he worked in civil service and studied business and management, but beyond that? Nothing.
There’s no information about his current career, whether he advanced in government work, moved to the private sector, or pursued something entirely different. His sister suggested he’d used his business skills successfully in the corporate world, but that’s unverified speculation from a decade ago.
For context, his ex-wife Sarah’s net worth is estimated at around $5 million as of 2024-2025, built through touring (approximately £60,000 per show), television appearances (roughly £500,000 annually), her YouTube channel with over 482,000 subscribers, book sales, and merchandise.
The financial disparity between them is likely substantial, but without any data on Andrew’s side.