Frank Turner has responded to the break up from his wife last year, saying that he “didn’t set out to inflict pain.”
Last September, Turner’s wife Jessica Guise revealed that their marriage was “over”, saying the musician’s “actions on his US tour” were the main reason for the split.
Guise, who married Turner in 2019, took to her official Instagram account to share a photo of her and Turner at the time. The caption of the post began with Guise explaining that she had been putting off writing the post as she “didn’t want any of it to be true, but we’ve agreed that saying something before Lost Evenings might save some difficult questions.”
“Things have come to light about Frank’s actions on his US tour in June and since, which give me no choice but to accept that our marriage is over,” she wrote. “This has all been very sudden and unexpected, and it has caused huge pain, but before any of this was a decade of love and joy; a quarter of our lives spent facing the world as a team, as best friends. We’re going to try to hold on to as much of that as we can,” she wrote.
Now, Turner has responded in a lengthy post on Facebook. “Being in the public eye can be hard,” he began, adding: “Much of my time is spent trying to make people notice my art. So I get that some people have an interest in my personal life.
“Recently I’ve been through some changes. Some people want to have opinions about that, often ill-informed and occasionally malicious. That sucks for everyone involved, and I’m tired of the gossip, misrepresentation, and untruths. I hate having to post this, and I’m aware that most people will take little interest, but I also have the right to state my side. I’ve held my tongue publicly about all this out of consideration for privacy, but now here’s my truth.
“I wasn’t looking, but I met my soulmate; the most wonderful person I’ve ever known. I made a connection that is unlike anything I ever experienced. I found a joy, acceptance and love that still has me pinching myself. I found peace beyond my understanding, one that I sincerely wish for everyone.”
Being in the public eye can be hard. Much of my time is spent trying to make people notice my art. So I get that some…
Posted by Frank Turner on Wednesday, October 15, 2025
He continued: “Timing and context was not perfect. I knew there’d be hurt involved. I went in with open eyes, and handled my end of that as honestly as I could. I didn’t screw up and get caught, I made a choice myself and followed through, taking the consequences and responsibilities. I could have done some bits better, but I’m not ashamed of my decisions or feelings. I didn’t set out to inflict pain, I have nothing bad to say about my past / the person I shared it with, but this is my present. I’m as happy as I’ve ever been, and that’s all you really need to know.
“Life is complicated, people change; it’s naive to think otherwise. My personal life isn’t your concern; I write songs, enjoy them or don’t. But it can affect me / my partner. With love to all and ill will to none, that’s the situation, and if you’re still feeling the need to be unhappy about that, go in peace, but feel free to go. I’m not interested in being judged by people who don’t know me. If you find yourself tempted to weigh in, know that no one is interested in your take, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Go listen to a record, care for the ones you love, do something positive with your day.”
He concluded: “I’m at peace, with my choices and decisions, with my heart. I wish the same to you.”
In other news, Turner partnered with the Music Venue Trust this year to donate £1 from every ticket sale from his spring UK tour to grassroots venues.
The MVT has repeatedly called for “action not kind words” as the live music sector heads for for “disaster”, and has shown that 2023 was the worst year for music venue closures. The likes of Coldplay, Enter Shikari and Sam Fender have all adopted a levy of their own.
Turner has previously echoed the MVT’s call for a £1 ticket levy at large-scale music events and has been a patron for the organisation – even performing in the House Of Commons to mark the launch of their 2023 Annual Report.
Turner said that he “would love to say he was surprised, but I wasn’t” by the news that 2023 was the worst year for venue closures to date, with 16 per cent of grassroots music venues shutting their doors over the past 12 months at a rate of two per week.
Speaking to NME last year about his role in the music industry, Turner explained: “My role in this is twofold – to shout about it whenever I can and be positive and say it’s a really fucking cool thing to go to indie gigs. Don’t fucking go to an arena gig where you get charged nine quid for a beer!”
Turner also recently lent his support to Manchester’s Retro Bar, which is facing closure.
