Actress Refuses to Get Married Amidst 5-Year Engagement

Lisa Riley may be engaged, but she has no plans to walk down the aisle. The Emmerdale actress recently opened up about her five-year engagement to her fiancé Al, telling The Sun newspaper's Fabulous Magazine that wedding bells will not be ringing because they are "happy" just as they are. The couple have been dating since 2014 and became engaged in 2018.
 
"If it ain't broken, don't fix it," Riley, who is best known for starring as Mandy Dingle on ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale, told Fabulous magazine. "We're very happy as we are and while I love wearing the beautiful ring Al gave me, I've never been the kind of girl who longs for a big, flouncy day with a horse and carriage. That kind of thing gives me the ick, to be honest. I'm never going to change my name, so really, what would be the difference? We call each other husband and wife, and have been together for nine years."
 
Riley went on to share that weddings are something you do "for the other people." While "all my friends, family and work colleagues adore Al and it's the same with me and his family and friends," the actress noted that one of the major reasons she and Al will not get married is because they've both lost their mothers. Riley's mom Cath died at 57 in 2012 after a battle with breast cancer, with Riley telling the outlet that she couldn't cope with the idea of not having her there on her wedding day.
 
Reflecting on her years-long relationship with her fiancé, Riley said she has "found someone who loves me for me and vice versa, which I never thought would happen," adding, "That's all that matters. As long as we're happy, we don't need wedding rings on our fingers. What difference would rings make?" She went on to quip that she "wouldn't be able to wear a wedding band very much anyway because I've always got my character Mandy Dingle's blingy rings on."
 
While Riley said she and her fiancé remain devoted to one another, they are also very independent. The star told Fabulous that "being independent in my relationship is very important to me" and she "cannot do 24/7, 365 days a year... it gives me the heebie-jeebies." She added that having a bit of distance helps keep the spark alive, sharing that she knows Al "wants to be with me for me, not because I'm an actress on one of the country's most popular TV shows." She added, "I have a beautiful life. I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm so lucky."