Author, actor and all round Twitter superstar Stephen Fry, who was instrumental in advocating publicly for the introduction of same-sex marriage, is to marry his boyfriend stand-up comedian Elliot Spencer.

The news was broken by British tabloid newspapers which have already obsessed over the age gap between the pair. The 57-year-old comedian said he is “very, very happy” following reports he has given formal notice to wed the 27-year-old at a register office in Dereham, Norfolk.Comedian Elliot Spencer and Stephen Fry tweet about their engagement - Twitter Feed

Fry’s personal assistant confirmed that the news was correct.

She described it as a private matter, but issued a brief statement on his behalf.

It said: “Stephen Fry is very happy and proud to say that he has set the wheels in motion for a wedding sometime in the future but no date has been set due to a busy work schedule.”

Fry received hundreds of tweets of congratulations from both fans and other celebrities.

He wrote: “Your adorable tweets are bringing me close to sobbing.”