Professor Hannah Fry, a renowned BBC mathematician and TV personality, has found new love on the dating app Hinge, following a quiet divorce from her husband of nine years, sports writer Phil.
The 40-year-old, who is known for her work on BBC documentaries and radio programs, opened up about her personal life in an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine.
She revealed that she and Phil had quietly separated in 2022 but continue to co-parent their two daughters while living just three doors apart in south London, describing their situation as a “two-household family.”
Despite the dissolution of their marriage, Hannah emphasized that she and Phil have managed to maintain a cordial and cooperative relationship.
In fact, she went so far as to call their divorce a “grade A, gold-star” split, underscoring how smoothly they’ve navigated the challenges of co-parenting. This amicable arrangement allowed them both to move on with their lives without animosity.
Hannah’s journey to love again took an unexpected turn after she was banned from Hinge for allegedly “impersonating” herself on the platform.
Not one to give up easily, she created a new profile using a different phone number to bypass the ban.
In a lighthearted moment, she joked about her “identity fraud,” explaining that she thought it was amusing how her new profile seemed to yield better results.
According to Hannah, relaunching herself as a “new person” may have influenced the app’s algorithm, which matches users with others who are perceived to be at a similar level of attractiveness.
She noted that after being banned, she quickly met Oli, her new partner, whom she described as a better match than anyone she had encountered previously on the app.
Hannah’s ability to blend humor with scientific insight was evident when she explained the role of dating algorithms in her success.
She theorized that her revamped profile likely placed her in a more favorable “bucket” of potential matches. And while she acknowledges the role of chance, she added that sometimes, correlation really is causation—especially in her case.
Beyond her personal life, Professor Fry is an accomplished academic and media figure. She holds a First Class degree in mathematics and theoretical physics and has written several bestselling books, including The Mathematics of Love.
Her professional work focuses on the intersection of mathematics and the real world, with a particular emphasis on urban studies. In 2024, she was appointed President of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and is a professor at University College London’s Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis.
On top of her academic accomplishments, Hannah has hosted numerous popular BBC programs, including The Joy of Data, Stargazing Live, and The Maths of Life.
She is also a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4 and Channel 4’s election coverage, where she serves as the official “chief number cruncher.”
Through all her professional achievements and personal changes, Hannah remains focused on her family and the future.
After overcoming a previous battle with cervical cancer, she is now thriving both in her career and personal life, ready to embrace her new relationship with Oli while continuing to raise her daughters with Phil.
The story of Professor Fry’s love life may have been a surprise to many, but it’s clear that she has approached both her personal and professional life with the same level of thoughtfulness, humor, and determination that have made her a star in both academia and the media.
