Trivia

She has a deep and abiding interest in helping women of size find attractive clothing and, to that end, co-wrote two books on knitting -- "Big Knits" and "Great Big Knits" -- and founded a clothing store that carries fashionable and affordable designs.

She originally studied to be a drama teacher.

When she was age 19, her father committed suicide.

She and her first husband, Lenny Henry, have a daughter, Billie Henry (b.1991 and adopted in infancy).

She is the longtime comedy partner of Jennifer Saunders, though each works on projects without the other.

In 2017, Doctor Who (1963) legend Tom Baker, who is almost always voted the best Doctor from the original run of the series, nominated French as a good choice for the Doctor in Doctor Who (2005) because "she's got such a wry sense of humour and also has a way with her that faintly suggests she's got secrets".

Her second husband, Mark Bignell, proposed to her during a gondola ride in Venice.

RAF Leconfield archive footage from summer 1961 shows Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother going to tea at the home of Sgt Denys French and family, including his daughter Dawn French, aged 3 years and 9 months. A section of the footage was included in French's comedy tour/video ''Thirty Million Minutes''.

In 2011, French underwent a hysterectomy operation after unintentionally losing almost 100lbs.

Dawn and her adopted daughter Billie, both have the middle name 'Roma', after Dawn's mother Felicity Roma.

French was born in Anglesey, Wales of English, Irish, and Cornish descent.

French has stated the she deliberately lost weight around the time of her divorce from Lenny Henry in order to have a hysterectomy via keyhole surgery.

Thanked in the credits of the film King Ralph.

She ,Imelda Staunton and Billy Connelly turned down a Peter Greenaway 1998 film because it involved full frontal nudity.