Charles and ex-wife Joanna (marriage 1970-2004) ~ alyssadu

Dance himself once admitted: 'Marriage stabilised me. Jo is by nature an optimist, I'm much more of a pessimist and it's a turbulent relationship.'But it's lasted and will last, and that's about all I can say. I think people stay married because they want to, it's as simple as that

Significantly, though, in an interview four years ago Dance said: 'There's a time of change coming up but I don't know what, yet.' And last November, at the premiere party for the French film 8 Women, the actor arrived alone

with daughter Rebecca

13 April 2004...from not reliable Daily Mail
Where other stars marry and remarry with alarming regularity, the Dances were believed to have one of the strongest, most refreshing, relationships in showbusiness.
But now The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the star of The Jewel In The Crown has left his wife Jo, a strikingly beautiful artist and sculptor for a woman 12 years older than he is.
The Dances have sold their vast Pounds 1million 17th Century Somerset mansion and moved into separate, comparatively modest flats in London.
One neighbour in the tiny village of Crickleaze, near Chard, said: 'He's managed to keep it quiet and out of the news but it's common knowledge in the village.
'Everyone knows they've split up. That's why they sold the house to go their separate ways
He does not take her to premieres or industry parties where he knows they will be photographed, preferring instead to dine out at quiet restaurants near his home in Kentish Town, North London.
One family friend said: 'It is amazing he has kept it so quiet. He even appeared on This Is Your Life a couple of years ago with Jo at his side but by then it was already all falling apart. If you look at the programme poor Jo looks so uncomfortable. It was just a nightmare for her.

in a 2007 interview
He used to say that his marriage stabilised him but now he says, 'It was ridiculous. I was far too young, I didn't know my arse from a hole in the ground, and I'd never lived on my own before that. Having my own space was something I should have done before getting married. I'd have learned more about myself.'....
.....In any event, the relationship ran into difficulties in 2001, and he and Jo finally divorced in 2004 after 33 years together. The house was sold and Dance moved back to London; he now lives on his own in Kentish Town.
Even though he says he and his ex-wife get on well, it seems terribly sad to walk away from a marriage of over three decades, but Dance shrugs away regret: 'I'm quite self-sufficient. I can cook; I can iron a shirt better than any woman I've come across.'....
.....He now occupies a terraced house with a small garden, rather than the five rolling acres he was used to. 'But it's my space,' he says with emphasis. 'I'm not answerable to anybody and I can double-lock the door and go away. A big house and dogs and cats and geese and ducks and all that stuff we had, they're a bit of a responsibility. Now I can concentrate on the job.' ....

in 2008 at Rolling Stone movie premiere