Funny girl Caroline Aherne last night revealed she'd been secretly dating a telly hunk.
The woman behind the award-winning Mrs Merton Show has fallen for handsome actor Alexis Denisof.
And Caroline said: "This is going to be a special relationship.
"I'm happier than I have been for ages."
She met 31-year-old Alexis - who was conman Lord Rossendale in the ITV drama Sharpe - just six weeks ago.
Love-struck Caroline, 33, has even taken her new man home to meet mum.
She said: "He's very good-looking and very funny and my mother thought he was lovely."
Caroline was introduced to the 6ft tall star at a mutual friend's party near his home in London.
But they agreed to keep their romance under wraps following a series of tragedies and bust- ups for the comic star.
Last year, she almost quit showbusiness after her then boyfriend Matt Bowers got into a public brawl with estranged hubby Peter Hook.
Then in April, Caroline was devastated when Matt died of stomach cancer.
And she told how she and brother Patrick were both born with cancer of the retina - and how she's scared to have kids in case they get it too.
A pal said: "Caroline is blissfully happy with her new love - it is the perfect end to what has been a nightmare year for her.