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Dawn O’Porter says one unexpected thread tied her to husband Chris O’Dowd: a shared appetite for food. In an interview with the Irish Independent she recalled how a roadside stop and a love of chips helped turn a friendship into a lasting relationship.
How it began
The pair first met at Dawn’s 30th birthday party in 2012, after an introduction by mutual friend Nick Frost. Dawn says she resisted at first—declining three times—before their connection deepened into romance.
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A quick stop that mattered
On her first visit to Ireland, a drive from Dublin Airport to Roscommon provided a memorable welcome. “The first time Chris ever took me to Ireland was the first time I’d ever been to Ireland,” she told the paper.
They pulled into a Supermac’s, where Chris ordered chips smothered in mayonnaise. Dawn remembers feeding him while he drove and thinking, “This is a really great start”. She also sampled the famed spice bags, and remains firm in her food metric: “I’ve always judged a place by its chips, and I have to say, Irish chips are great.”
Food as a foundation
Dawn says a mutual love of eating was important to sustaining their relationship. She recalled a past partner who told her, “I eat to live, I don’t live to eat,” and added that such an attitude showed they would not have lasted.
For Dawn, the pleasure is in sharing meals. She enjoys “loving food together” and not being cast as “the overindulgent one.” That common ground, she says, has helped shape their life together.
Not a Hollywood story
Dawn noted that their social world is the comedy circuit rather than the Hollywood A-list, a scene where some high-profile figures have turned to drugs such as Ozempic or Mounjaro for weight loss. She said she never felt pressure to slim down, preferring to enjoy life and food.
The account underlines a simple point: for this couple, ordinary moments — a shared packet of chips, a familiar roadside stop — helped build an unusual and enduring bond.
