Hughes has never married, although in an interview with "The Daily Telegraph" in 2006, he said he had been turned down by "several women". He denied persistent rumours about his sexuality, when asked if he was gay, saying "The answer is no, as it happens, but if it were the case, which it isn't, I hope that it would not be an issue." Two days later, in an interview with "The Independent" he again denied being gay, and later in an interview with "The Guardian" he repeated the denial.