Mary Berry is one of Britain’s most trusted cooks, but her family story is smaller and more private than her fame suggests. Here’s the verified picture of Mary Berry’s children and family life — what we know, what’s changed in 2026, and where the sloppier sites have got the details wrong.
How many children does Mary Berry have?
Mary Berry has three children with her husband, Paul Hunnings: two sons, Thomas and William, and a daughter, Annabel. There is one sad note we should be honest about straight away — William died in 1989, aged 19, in a car accident. So of Mary’s three children, two are living today.
She is also a grandmother of five. If you searched “mary berry son” or “mary berry sad news” and landed on conflicting numbers, that’s the confusion we’ll clear up below.
Meet the children
Mary and Paul married in 1966 and their family grew across the late 1960s and early 1970s. Here’s each of the three.
Thomas Hunnings (born 1968)
Thomas is the eldest and by far the most private of the three. He works as a tree surgeon and lives in Oxfordshire, keeping well clear of his mother’s public life. He is a father to twin daughters, Gracie and Abby. Beyond his occupation and his children’s names, Thomas has never courted attention, and we’re not going to invent any — the honest answer to “what does Thomas do?” is simply that he runs a quiet, non-showbiz life.
William Hunnings (1969–1989)
William was the middle child. In January 1989, aged 19 and home from Bristol Polytechnic, he died in a car crash. His sister Annabel was in the car and survived. Mary has spoken about the loss with unusual openness over the years, describing grief as something you carry rather than get over. The family keeps his memory present — Mary has said William’s photograph is part of Christmas every year — and she is a long-standing patron of Child Bereavement UK, a charity supporting families who have lost a child.
Annabel Hunnings, later Annabel Bosher (born 1972)
Annabel is the youngest and the one who followed her mother into food. She trained at Le Cordon Bleu and, in the 1990s, co-founded the Mary Berry & Daughter range of sauces and dressings with her mother. The business grew into a genuine commercial success and was sold in 2014, reportedly for around £2.5m. Annabel married and became Annabel Bosher, and is a mother of three: Louis, Hobie and Atalanta.
Partner and wider family
Mary’s husband is Paul Hunnings — full name Paul John March Hunnings. The couple married in 1966, making theirs one of the longest celebrity marriages in Britain. Paul spent his career in the wine and antiquarian book trade before retiring, and has always stayed firmly out of the spotlight. In 2026 the couple are in their nineties, and Mary has spoken warmly about the ordinary rhythm of their life together.
Is “Annabel Mary March” Mary Berry’s daughter’s real name?
No — and this is worth stating plainly, because several low-quality sites repeat it. Mary Berry’s daughter is Annabel, born Annabel Hunnings and now known by her married name, Annabel Bosher. The stray “March” comes from her father’s full name, Paul John March Hunnings — it has been scrambled by clone sites into a fictional “Annabel Mary March.” If you’ve seen that name, treat it as an error, not a maiden name.
Grandchildren at a glance
Mary’s five grandchildren come from Thomas and Annabel. Ages are only ever given loosely in public reporting, so we’ve kept this to what is confirmed rather than guessing at years:
| Grandchild | Parent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gracie | Thomas | One of Thomas’s twin daughters |
| Abby | Thomas | One of Thomas’s twin daughters |
| Louis | Annabel | Annabel’s eldest |
| Hobie | Annabel | Annabel’s child |
| Atalanta | Annabel | Sometimes misspelled “Atlanta” online |
That misspelling — Atalanta versus Atlanta — is a small example of how family details drift as they’re copied between sites. We’ve used the spelling that appears in the more carefully sourced coverage.
Public family moments
The most significant 2026 update — and the one missing from most evergreen profiles — concerns Annabel. In June 2026, reports emerged that Annabel’s marriage had ended after around 24 years, and that she wanted to “live near mum now.” Mary, by all accounts, has stepped in as a steady support through a hard year. In keeping with the family’s approach, the identity of Annabel’s former husband has been kept low-key, and we’d caution against reading too much into the thin details that have circulated.
Alongside that, Mary herself has been reflective in recent interviews tied to her memoir and gardening projects, speaking candidly about age, legacy and mortality now that she and Paul are in their nineties. It’s a striking through-line: the woman who lost a son in 1989 talking, decades on, about time and what lasts. That intersection of grief, longevity and family is the honest heart of this story — not a scandal, but a life fully lived.
Readers who enjoy these grounded family profiles may also like our piece on Poppy Honey Rosie Oliver, another famous cook’s family story, and our profile of Nicole Osbourne.
What the family keeps private
Good family profiles know where to stop. A few clear boundaries:
- Annabel’s former husband: beyond the fact of the split, little has been confirmed publicly. We won’t speculate about names, reasons or timelines that aren’t on the record.
- The grandchildren: Mary rarely discusses them in detail, and several are young. We’ve listed only names and parentage that are already public.
- Thomas: he keeps a deliberately low profile. “Tree surgeon in Oxfordshire, father of twins” is the confirmed extent of it, and that’s where responsible coverage ends.
For more royal and celebrity family reporting that follows the same careful line, see our profile of Michael Ball’s wife.
The bottom line
Mary Berry’s family life is defined by longevity and loss in equal measure: a marriage of nearly 60 years, three children, the death of William in 1989, and a daughter who built a food business by her side and is now leaning on her through a divorce. It’s a small, close family that shares selectively — which is exactly why getting the confirmed facts right, and ignoring the invented ones, matters.
FAQs
How many children does Mary Berry have?
Mary Berry has three children with her husband Paul Hunnings: sons Thomas and William and daughter Annabel. William died in 1989 aged 19, so two of her three children are living today. She also has five grandchildren.
What are the names of Mary Berry’s children?
Her children are Thomas Hunnings (born 1968, a tree surgeon), William Hunnings (1969–1989), and Annabel — born Annabel Hunnings and now known as Annabel Bosher — who trained as a cook and co-founded the Mary Berry & Daughter range.
Who is Mary Berry’s husband and the children’s father?
The children’s father is Paul Hunnings, full name Paul John March Hunnings. He married Mary in 1966 and worked in the wine and antiquarian book trade before retiring. The couple are both in their nineties in 2026.
Is ‘Annabel Mary March’ Mary Berry’s daughter’s real name?
No. Her daughter is Annabel, now Annabel Bosher by marriage. The ‘March’ comes from her father’s full name, Paul John March Hunnings, and has been mistakenly turned into a fake surname by low-quality sites.
What happened with Mary Berry’s daughter Annabel in 2026?
In June 2026, reports said Annabel’s marriage had ended after around 24 years and that she wanted to live closer to her mother. Mary has publicly supported her, while the family has kept most details private.
How has the family shared William’s death publicly?
Mary has spoken openly about losing William in a 1989 car crash and keeps his memory alive, including with photographs each Christmas. She is a long-standing patron of Child Bereavement UK.
