Matthew Macfadyen's Wife Left Her Then-Husband for the 'Pride and Prejudice' Star

In 2002, controversy erupted when Matthew Macfadyen began a relationship with his co-star, Keeley Hawes, which led to her leaving her husband for him. The two had just met while on the set of the British television drama series "Spooks."

Mcfadyen, famous for his role as Fitzwilliam Darcy in the 2005 romantic drama, "Pride and Prejudice," is well known for his acclaimed portrayal of romantic characters. In 2002, his charm caught the attention of many when he began a relationship with Hawes, who had just been married to the father of her two-year-old son.

However, despite all the controversy surrounding their union, the couple has remained together for about two decades now and lives with their three children. They even recently co-starred together, playing a fictional couple in the ITV drama, "Stonehouse," 20 years after their fateful first.

Matthew Macfadyen's Wife Keeley Hawes Is Also an Actress

Although Hawes may not be a household name in America, she is popular in Britain. The actress was born Clair Julia Hawes in Paddington, London, on February 10, 1976. Raised in a humble family, she grew up in Marylebone and had to take on multiple part-time jobs in her teenage years.

Her path to an acting career began when she was approached by a modeling agent while walking on London's Oxford Street. After almost a year of modeling, she made her debut on screen in a 1996 film called "Karaoke." Hawes learned acting at Sylvia Young Theatre School, which was in her neighborhood.

Her career started to grow in leaps and bounds after that, as successive appearances in BBC productions followed. She appeared in at least one major project in the next few years after that. For example, she had roles in "The Beggar Bride" in 1997, "The Avengers" and "Old Mutual Friend" in 1998, and "The Blond Bombshell'' in 1999.

Besides her on-screen work, she is known for providing her voice as a voice-over artist or narrator in several projects. Perhaps her most notable work in that regard was voicing Lara Croft in three of the franchise's video games from 2006 to 2010.

She also had the honor of narrating a royal family video made by the BBC in the build-up to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. From the films and television series listed above, it is clear that her career has been restricted to primarily British productions and audiences.

However, American audiences may have gotten a glimpse of her in her portrayal of Valerie Tozer in "It's a Sin." The five-part drama was aired on HBO Max in the USA. Her performance in the series, especially in the final episode, garnered massive praise and admiration from fans and critics.

Keeley Hawes Left Her Husband for Matthew Macfadyen after Eight Weeks of Marriage

For many people, Hawes got their attention through the controversy surrounding the beginning of her relationship with her now-husband Macfadyen. Still, it is essential to note that her outstanding work as an actress should not be overshadowed by her personal life, as it would seem in this instance.

In 2002, the media was abuzz with news that Hawes had decided to leave the father of her then-two-year-old son, Myles, for her co-star Macfadyen. The two had met during the shooting of "Spooks" and developed feelings for each other. The actress recalls the day their romance began saying:

"Matthew just came straight out with it and said, 'I love you,' in the rain one day. I thought, 'Oh dear, here we go'."

The coup de foudre, as the French would say, was made even more sensitive because Hawes was already a married woman. Hawes and her former husband, Spencer McCallum, had their wedding just eight weeks before she decided to end it in favor of Macfadyen, whom she had just met.

Since then, the decision has seemed inspired, as Hawes and Macfadyen have been inseparable for two decades. Macfadyen claims their relationship has been kept stable by their sacrifices. They have a rule that states they cannot be apart for longer than three weeks. He explained:

"You have to make compromises a bit but you just muddle through like everybody. You just take it day by day. Can I do this? Will it work?"

Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen Are Proud Parents of Three Kids

Hawes and Macfadyen married in November 2004, shortly after her divorce from McCallum had been finalized. A month after their wedding, the newlyweds welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Maggie, in what was a rather busy 2004 for the actress.

Two years later, they added Ralph to their family in September 2006. Ralph made it a family of five, including Myles, who Hawes had had with McCallum in 1999.

The three children are reportedly not fans of their father's hit HBO dark comedy series "Succession." Mcfadyen even comically proclaimed that his daughter would prefer if he were part of "a good show, like "The Vampire Diaries," a fantasy series starring Nina Dobrev and Kat Graham.

Hawes is satisfied with her having three kids at an earlier age than usual. She said, "I was done at 30. In my line of work, that's unusual, but now my friends are having children, I'm like, mwah ha ha, mine are all gone." The actors don't go off to work simultaneously to ensure that one parent is always 100% available to the kids.