Charles Spencer Addresses Relationship with His Podcast Host amid Her Lawsuit Against His Estranged Wife

Charles Spencer has confirmed his relationship with Dr. Cat Jarman amid her reported lawsuit against his estranged wife, Countess Karen Spencer.

The 9th Earl Spencer broke his silence about his relationship with Norwegian archaeologist Jarman during an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Oct. 15, following reports that she has filed litigation against his ex-wife. This comes after The Telegraph reported on Oct. 11 that Jarman has filed a lawsuit against Karen, alleging misuse of private information. 

While appearing on Good Morning Britain, Charles, 60, discussed the legacy of his late sister, Princess Diana, and his new book, The Rabbit Hole Book: 99 adventures into the history of stuff. The historian and author co-wrote the trivia book with his The Rabbit Hole Detectives podcast co-hosts, Jarman and Rev. Richard Coles, and spoke about how he met them both. 

“Cat Jarman, who is my partner now actually, but she’s a brilliant archaeologist,” Spencer said on the show earlier this week. “It sounds like an Alan Partridge title, but she is Nordic Person of 2024, which is usually handed out to someone like Sven-Göran Eriksson or a composer or something.”

“What do you have to do to be Nordic person of the year?” Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley asked. 

“You have to be respected throughout all Scandinavian and Nordic countries,” Charles replied. “With the book, we bring quite different things but we all do a podcast together called the Rabbit Hole Detectives, and then out of that came this book.”

Later in the segment, presenter Susannah Reid asked the Earl Spencer to share the “inside story” of how he met Jarman, 42.

“Well, first of all, I met her because we both have the same publisher. But secondly, I know this sounds rather bizarre, but she came to dig up a Roman villa on some land I’ve got,” he said. “And then Richard Coles, Cat and I would end up together.”

“Richard had been recently bereaved, so he’s semi-living with me, and the three of us would just talk and talk and talk,” Charles explained. “And Cat said, ‘Let’s do a podcast’. And out of the podcast came this book.”

The trio launched The Rabbit Hole Detectives in 2023, and the book of the same name was published in the U.K. on Oct. 10.

The Earl Spencer and his estranged wife, Karen, a Canadian social entrepreneur and founder of Whole Child International, announced in June that they were divorcing after nearly 13 years of marriage. The former couple wed in 2011 and share 12-year-old daughter Charlotte Diana, whose middle name honors her late aunt. Both were previously married, and are parents to older children from those relationships. 

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Charles declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE regarding Jarman’s reported lawsuit. Jarman’s legal team did not immediately respond. Karen, 52, also declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.

The Earl Spencer announced the divorce to The Mail on Sunday over the summer, and said he was focusing on his family.

“It is immensely sad,” he said at the time. “I just want to devote myself to all my children and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future.”

The outlet reported then that he was “becoming close to” Jarman, his show co-host.