When the renowned British actor Ralph Fiennes left his wife Alex Kingston for Francesca Annis,
18 years his senior, the media became fascinated with his personal life.
Who knew it would be so scandalous! In today’s episode, we’ll find out how the
famous actor got into a passionate mile-high romp with the flight attendant and why his
infidelities almost cost a life. Stay tuned! Everybody was shocked when Academy Award-nominated
British actor Ralph Fiennes unexpectedly left his wife Alex Kingston for another woman.
At the time, he was a 32-year-old husband in a marriage of four years.
Apparently, he was involved in an intense affair that concluded in a sudden and messy divorce.
Fiennes decided to part ways with Kingston due to a passionate romance with Francesca Annis,
known for her work in Dune and The Libertine. Hollywood stories like this are a dime a dozen.
Somebody could say that stars usually leave their wives for somebody younger, right?
But what made this story especially stunning to the press and the public
was the age of Annis. Believe it or not, she was 18 years older than Fiennes.
It all started when Fiennes met his future wife Kingston at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
in London. Their romance blossomed in the early 1980s as lovebirds helped each other
get through academia. Slowly and steadily, the connection developed into a serious relationship.
But it was challenging for the couple to balance their professional and personal lives. And before
long, Kingston's talent was widely recognized. She was cast as Moll Flanders in the series The
Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders. That role made her an international star.
When Fiennes' career was taking off with his role in Schindler's List,
the couple finally started to seriously consider marriage. But, did they have a clear understanding
of what was happening? It seems that no – the distance between aspiring actors grew stronger.
Kingston opened up about details of their wedding day, "He'd been away most of that year and came
back three days before the wedding. We were like strangers - very fragile. His mother was dying,
and somehow we thought the wedding was going to heal everything. But that was crazy, of course."
Fiennes and Kingston stayed in wedlock for four years until he fell in love with fellow actress
Francesca Annis. That was a devastating betrayal for Kingston. She could hardly cope with the
stress and felt worthless. After the devastating breakup, Kingston fell into a deep depression.
The situation was so unbearable that the renowned actress even considered suicide.
One day, a man whom she loved so deeply and passionately stabbed her in the back
with heartbreaking infidelity. Kingston confessed, "I am quite emotionally fragile,
and not at all like the characters I play." After their split, she called him the love of
her life, said she couldn't bear to watch his performances and had to flee London.
Remembering her life with him was unbearable. Have the associations faded since then?
Kingston confessed, "Yes, they have. I actually went to see The Constant Gardener – the first
time I have seen him on film since we split up – and I was able to sit through it and really
enjoy the movie, just thinking, 'Oh, there's a fantastic actor on screen.'” There was no other
reaction whatsoever. Kingston believed that time healed the wound. And maybe her second marriage.
Kingston met journalist Florian Haertel, and it was with him that she fulfilled her dream
of becoming a mother. It was a long and hard battle, but eventually, the couple welcomed
their daughter, Salome. As she got married for the second time, Kingston revealed that her
relationship with Fiennes lacked emotional depth. She described her second husband, Florian Haertel,
“He was so open for a man who had never had therapy.
I was stunned because for 12 years I had just been with Ralph, who was so closed.”
But what happened to Fiennes? Why did he leave Kingston in the first place?
Fiennes had an affair with Francesca Annis, a co-star from the production of Hamlet in
which she played his mother. At that time, Annis was a 50-year-old mother of three.
She's been in a relationship with a photographer, Patrick Wiseman, for 20 years. The couple lasted
until Annis fell in love with Fiennes and decided to call it quits with her previous partner.
Fiennes and Annis were together for 11 years, and both stated that age
difference wasn't a problem for them. Annis shared, "Of course, I don't spend
days agonizing over the age difference. How can I? There is nothing I can do about it."
As for children, Annis revealed that Fiennes had no interest in becoming a father.
It was said to be one of the most stable relationships in show business. But Fiennes
and Annis broke off as suddenly as they got together. Annis happened to be in the situation
Kingston faced more than a decade ago. It came like a bolt from the blue – Fiennes cheated again.
Annis once revealed, "I don't want three million people digesting my
private life over their cornflakes." Now that nightmare has come true.
This time, it was a Romanian singer who said her relationship with Fiennes began when they met at a
party in London. She had a passionate affair with The English Patient star for two years before his
breakup with Annis. Having a fling with a young woman had devastating consequences for the actor's
relationship with his long-time partner. But should we be surprised by the series of betrayals?
Annis stayed extremely discreet about her breakup with Fiennes. In a statement,
her lawyer said: "Ms Annis confirms that she and Ralph Fiennes are to separate."
That was the end of the relationship that lasted more than a decade.
As he already earned a reputation as a serial cheater,
Fiennes was once thought to have a fling with Jennifer Lopez.
Do you know the story? At the time when he starred with the famous singer in Maid in Manhattan,
the media spotted them off the film's set at a restaurant. This sparked rumors of dating,
making it difficult to tell who was Lopez's actual romantic interest – Ralph Fiennes or Ben Affleck.
Fiennes disclosed that the speculations about him and Lopez were supposed to draw
the public's attention. He merely played the role to help her out.
"Later I said, 'Jennifer, I'm a little jealous. We were having a thing – now
it's Ben. I was the decoy,'" Fiennes ironically admitted. Despite the drama, the English actor
confesses that he thought highly of his co-star. "I've done a lot of movies, and I have not
gotten involved with any of my co-stars," the singer opened up about the confusing situation.
"Even during Gigli, Ben and I just worked together. I don't have any trouble keeping it
professional. Ralph is obviously a very handsome and appealing man, but I didn't touch it."
Although Lopez claimed she doesn’t get involved with colleagues on set,
relationships seem to be allowed after filming. Sooner rather than later, she and Affleck informed
the public that they were romantically involved. But let’s get back to Fiennes. Even though he
dived into the dating pool after the divorce with Annis, the actor never actually remarried.
Fiennes presumably dated Patti Smith, Amanda Harlech, and Ellen Barkin,
but we don’t know for sure whether these flings ever happened. The actor learned his lesson and
kept his romantic life out of the limelight until another scandal appeared on the horizon.
Unfortunately for the discreet actor, a flight attendant came forward and revealed that she
had unprotected sex with Fiennes in an airplane bathroom. The 38-year-old, sacked by the airline
after admitting to the in-flight encounter, shared that Fiennes denied their passionate make out.
What's more, that story sent Fiennes's lover into an emotional tailspin. The former Qantas
flight attendant, Lisa Robertson, admitted that it took her a while to learn to like herself again.
She also spoke of not having many friends because people had strange motivations to be friendly with
her, and had struggled to form relationships after the flight toilet romp with the renowned actor.
She felt humiliated, had major family issues and acute health problems,
longed to rebuild self-esteem and stop living as a "hermit". She confessed in the interview,
"I sort of feel like I've lost a few years, but I'll get those years back, hopefully."
After years of scandalous romances, Fiennes' love life is now under the radar again.
In 2019, a pretty brunette accompanied him on a trip to Italy, but her identity remained unknown.
These are rare occasions when we can take a peek into the actor's life. Given a number
of scandals involving Fiennes, is it strange that he prefers to keep his love life private?
The actor is reportedly single now. We’ve been wondering,
did a notorious reputation as a womanizer influence his love life? As he repeatedly
cheated on his long-term partners, will someone be willing to trust him again?
His tumultuous romance with Kingston and Annis showed how painful infidelity could be.
Kingston was devastated after the heart-wrenching breakup and hardly survived the relationship.
It took her years to recover from the trauma. Perhaps, we’ll never know the truth behind
Fiennes’ dramatic and intense breakups. Switching from one long-lasting relationship to another,
he proved himself not only as a talented actor but also as a passionate wooer.
Or perhaps a serial cheater? Although Fiennes prefers to
keep things under the radar now, fans still wonder what the future holds for his love life.
Today, the actor simply gets caught in the spotlight in the company of mysterious women.
So, the question remains open – who will be next on the dating list of The English Patient star?
And will we ever learn anything about his new romances, given
all the scandals involving Fiennes in the past? Let us know what you think about his passionate
love life. And stay tuned to discover more about your favorite celebrities!