'I asked myself, why am I still not happy?' -Julia Morris

She's renowned for her quickfire comedy and endless confidence. But when the cameras are off, a very different version of Julia Morris appears. In a candid interview, the newly single comic reveals how she's navigated divorce while raising children and the personal awakenings she's had along the way.

- By Tiffany Dunk

Julia Morris doesn’t enter a room. She bursts into one. “Stand clear, mediocre talent walking,” the comedian cracks as she arrives on The Weekly’s set. It’s the beginning of a series of pithy and often self-deprecating jokes that will launch the assembled crew into fits of giggles throughout our shoot, occasionally holding up proceedings as we get sucked into the comedic stories.

It’s this effortless flow of banter that has seen her traverse what she calls her “75 years in the business”, pivoting from one opportunity to the next and finding a legion of new, loyal fans along the way. But while it’s easy to write Julia off as a human one-liner generator, scratch gently beneath the surface and there’s a woman of many layers and complexities sitting underneath.

“That was a cross between glorious and gently embarrassing,” she sighs once the camera has been put down. “For years I was conscious of not looking like I was taking myself too seriously and in the end, that just took up more time.

“I think it’s something in the 50s about letting go. Not letting go of how I look – quite the opposite. But having faith that everyone else knows what they are doing.”

It’s not the first time Julia has shot with The Weekly. But it is the first time she’s spoken to us in the wake of her split from husband of 16 years Dan Thomas. And it’s the first time she’s laid bare not only the way she, Dan and their two daughters – Ruby, 16, and Sophie, 14 – have navigated the huge life shift, but also the personal awakenings she’s had along the way.