The star of shows such as the BBC’s Gone Fishing had a “horrid” start to the weekend when he took to the street in Islington to run the errand for his wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir but who is she and what do we know about her?
TV favourite Paul Whitehouse was the victim of a mugging attempt in London. The 68-year-old was attacked when fetching some medicine for his wife as she’d had a “bad reaction” to some treatment.
The star of shows such as the BBC’s Gone Fishing had a “horrid” start to the weekend when he took to the street in Islington to run the errand for his wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir.
Dr Mine took to Instagram and explained: “Well, a horrid start to the weekend would be an understatement. Yesterday, I had a bad reaction to some treatment, which has left me feeling rather rotten. So last night, Paul dashed out to get me some meds. He was mugged on Essex Road (Islington) at the cashpoint beside the Sainsbury’s Local.
“He did fight back and retrieved his card, with the perp scuttling away empty-handed. But that’s not the point, is it? I kept shtum, out of respect, but he just came over, having taken our daughter to football, still frustrated. I asked whether he’d like me to post – he said yes – in the hope that it might help folk to be more aware when out and about.”
But who is his wife who he was running errands for?
Here is all we know:
Who is Dr Mine Conkbayir?
She is a 46-year-old academic who is married to Paul Whitehouse.
Of Turkish descent, she is a doctor of philosophy (PhD) and an early years researcher, author, and neuroscience specialist and has written many leading papers and research textbooks on the matter.
Although married to Paul, and having been together for more than two decades, the pair do not live together and choose to reside in different homes because of their opposite preferences.
Dr Mine is outspoken about having ADHD and admits she needs constant background noise and light, whereas Paul does not.
She completed her higher education in London, studying childcare at City and Islington College before pursuing her advanced university degrees, earning her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the UCL Institute of Education (University College London).
How did they meet and how long have they been together?
Whitehouse met Mine Conkbayir, when she was aged 23, and 22 years his junior. She was working in a health food shop while studying when they met.
As of 2026 they have been together 22 years and married for seven of those.
Do Paul Whitehouse and Dr Mine Conkbayir have any children?
Yes, the pair share a daughter named Delilah, who is believed to be 13 years old, but she is not the only child of Paul
Paul Whitehouse has four daughters in total from his relationships.
Molly Whitehouse and Sophie Whitehouse are his two eldest two daughters from his first marriage to Fiona Wightman and Lauren Whitehouse, his third daughter, from a subsequent relationship with costume designer Natalie Rogers.