Edward Abel Smith Changed His Name Twice and Took His Wife's Last Name

Edward Abel Smith, Kate Winslet's husband, not only changed his name for fun but changed it back after meeting the actress. His wife revealed that his former unusual last name did not have the expected reaction when it was revealed he was dating a famous movie star.

During her interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Winslet revealed that her husband, whose birth name is Edward Abel Smith, changed his last name to Rocknroll.

When they met, he went by Ned Rocknroll, and the "Titanic" actress shared that while the media in the US found the name cool, Smith's former last name was not as well-received in the UK.

Winslet humorously recalled filling out their son's birth certificate after he was born and having to put Rocknroll as the father's last name. Smith's ex-wife, Eliza Pearson, said Smith had opted for the out-of-the-ordinary last name as a way not to take himself too seriously. She said:

"It was hysterical. We had discussed him doing this many times before, but I wasn't sure whether he'd do it. The whole thing was about having fun with your name. He thought we all took ourselves too seriously, so it was about reacting against it."

After meeting Winslet, Smith added her last name as one of his middle names. The actress shared that it made traveling easier when they all had Winslet on their passports, as all their children also have Winslet as part of their names.

Edward Is a Down-To-Earth Man Who Does Yoga

The nephew of Virgin Group founder and billionaire Sir Richard Branson, Smith was the Head of Marketing, Promotion, and Astronaut Experience at Virgin Galactic, the space travel division of the Branson Company. However, it is unclear if that is still his occupation.

His wife revealed that despite suffering from severe dyslexia, he is her right-hand man when she needs to run lines. "It's so hard for him to read out loud, but he still does it," Winslet said.

In his spare time, Smith is passionate about healthy living. A vegan, he also practices yoga and breathwork and does cold water swims.

Edward's Wife Feels So Lucky to Be in a Relationship with Him

Smith and Winslet's relationship began in August 2011 after meeting on his uncle's private island, Necker Island. However, what would have been a romantic meet-cute turned into a disaster after a reported lightning strike led to a massive fire.

While Winslet helped Branson's mother escape the fire, Smith fled through a neighbor's home. "He was a complete stranger, we met, and then the next day, the house burnt down," she said. Fortunately, the disastrous vacation was only a tiny hiccup in the couple's love story, as Winslet shared:

"He is an absolutely extraordinary life partner. I'm so, so, so lucky."

Edward's Son Has an Interesting Name for a Reason

After tying the knot in December 2012, Edward Abel Smith and Kate Winslet announced that they were expecting their first child together in June 2013. Winslet's rep confirmed that their son, Bear Blaze, was born on December 7, 2013, at an NHS hospital in Sussex County, United Kingdom.

It is unclear if Smith has children from his previous relationship, but Bear is Winslet's third child. She shares two children — Mia and Joe — with her ex-husbands, Jim Threapleton and Sam Mendes.

During an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Kate Winslet revealed that she and Smith had settled on their son's name early on. The couple chose the name Bear in honor of Winslet's childhood friend, who had the nickname Bear, a name she had always loved.

Their son's middle name, Blaze, was in memory of the fire on Branson's island that the couple had survived. "...We wanted something of the fire, and so Blaze was the name that we came up with," Winslet said.