They were the golden couple of British cinema and made unforgettable films together.
However, after six years of marriage, Emma Thompsom and Kenneth Brannagh fell apart.
The couple tried to convince their fans that this was due to their busy schedules, but
the truth eventually came out: Kenneth had an affair with Helena Bonham Carter.
Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompsom met while starring in the mini-series "Fortunes Of War".
The couple soon started a romance so strong that they tied the knot only two years later.
The wedding ceremony took place in a luxury country house near London, and it was star-studded.
Actor Brian Blessed was the best man, and some of the guests included Stephen Fry, Hugh
Laurie, and Judi Dench.
The lovebirds not only worked well as a couple but also made an excellent professional duo.
The actors continued starring in films together, some of which Kenneth directed.
The pair was nicknamed "The Ken & Em Show".
The two of them together were loved by fans so much that the stars sometimes felt like
they were losing their identities.
For this reason, there came a point when Emma and Kenneth even refused to do interviews
together.
The couple stayed in love for several years.
However, near the end of their marriage, their union started to show signs of trouble.
In January 1995, Thompson spent two weeks at a health clinic.
According to People Magazine, when Brannagh visited her, the actress told another patient,
"He might as well have not bothered.
I just want to sleep."
Emma's desire to start a family could have also added tension to the marriage.
Two years before the divorce, the actress told an interviewer that she felt her biological
clock ticking away.
However, Ken was very tired from all the work he’s been doing.
"I should think all his sperms are on crutches," she joked.
Finally, the couple released a divorce statement in 1995, explaining that their work had kept
them separate for long periods of time.
"As a result, we have drifted apart," the stars added.
Fans were understandably shocked.
Many believe there was more to the story… and they were right!
The year before his divorce, Brannagh directed and starred alongside actress Helena Bonham
Carter in his adaptation of "Frankenstein", and it was later revealed that they had an
affair.
When asked why he wanted to cast Helena, Kenneth said, "I've always admired her," and described
the actress as a "strong and resilient artist."
In a 1994 interview with US Magazine, the director explained why he didn't cast Emma
in "Frankenstein."
Brannagh said he "felt like doing this one" with another actress.
"It seemed to us absurd that Em must always be in everything," he said, before adding
that Helena was right for the role.
Kenneth's affair was probably not a surprise for Emma since the actor was known for falling
in love on set.
According to the Daily Mail, at one point, an unnamed actress threatened to hit him if
he didn't stop propositioning her!
Before their split, Brannagh and Thompsom even discussed going to therapy to help him
get rid of this habit.
The breakup was very hard for Thompson.
Later on, she even used the heartbreak to give one of her most memorable performances
in the 2003 rom-com "Love, Actually".
In the film, Emma plays a wife and mother who discovers her husband is being unfaithful
during Christmas.
When her character finds out, she quietly starts crying but quickly has to piece herself
together so as not to ruin the holiday for her kids.
At a 2018 fundraiser, the actress explained that she used her real life experience to
draw inspiration for her heart-wrenching performance.
She said she could relate to her character, saying, "I had my heart very badly broken
by Ken."
We are glad she was able to channel her pain into creating such a memorable scene!
Thompson has also opened up about her mental health after the breakup, explaining that
she had clinical depression.
She confessed to the Times UK that it was very tough and that she probably should have
sought professional help sooner.
"Divorce – ghastly, painful business," the actress told the magazine.
Emma was able to overcome her depression with the help of her true calling: making movies.
The star decided to adapt Jane Austen's novel "Sense and Sensibility" for the screen.
Writing this screenplay gave Thompsom a reason to get out of bed and allowed the actress
to reconnect with romance through Austen's writing.
The writer's heroines deal with a lot of instability and uncertainty in their lives, something
Emma could relate to.
"The only thing I could do was write," she told The Independent.
She also confessed that, while writing, she used to put on a dressing gown she had gifted
Kenneth for Christmas.
Well, Emma's work paid off.
She was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for her role in the film and won the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay!
Her career wasn't the only thing that blossomed because of the film since she met her true
love and future husband on the set.
Greg Wise was one of the actors starring in the movie.
Before filming, he had seen a psychic friend who told him he would meet his future wife
on the set of "Sense and Sensibility".
This led to a hilarious anecdote…
When he arrived on set, Wise thought actress Kate Winslet was the one.
The two actors went on a date, but there was no chemistry.
Later on, it was Kate who suggested to Greg that he should date Emma.
Thompson was still hurt by her breakup, but a few months after the divorce, she decided
to give love a chance and went on a date with Greg.
And the psychic friend was right because the couple has been together for almost three
decades!
After dating for eight years, the lovebirds finally got married in 2003.
They share two children.
Tindy is a former child soldier from Rwanda who the family adopted after inviting him
to Christmas Eve dinner.
He is now a human rights activist, who travels the world helping refugees and asylum seekers.
Their daughter, Gaia, has followed in her parents' footsteps and become an actress.
Emma certainly got her happy ending, and was able to get over the affair.
In 2013, the actress and screenwriter addressed the infidelity in an interview with The Sunday
Times.
She explained that she was over it and there wasn't any bad blood between her, Kenneth,
or Helena.
"You can't hold on to anything like that.
It's pointless," Thompson said.
She also joked about her and Bonham Carter being similar because they were both "slightly
mad and a bit fashion-challenged."
"Perhaps that's why Ken loved us both," the star added.
"She's a wonderful woman, Helena."
Speaking of Helena and Ken, what happened to them after the split?
Well, after the affair, they decided to continue their relationship.
The actress later confessed that they had met well before filming "Frankenstein", during
a poetry reading on a boat in 1988.
However, according to her, they didn't have a proper conversation until they worked together
on the movie.
The actors decided to keep their relationship low-key.
Although they were photographed kissing in the summer of 1996, they didn't announce they
were together until a year later.
Bonham-Carter confirmed the relationship when she told reporters, "Of course we're together,
and it's very nice, thank you."
However, their love was not meant to last, and they split in 1999.
It was also the actress who told the press, saying, "I am very sad to confirm that Kenneth
Branagh and I are no longer together."
She clarified that the decision was mutual and no one else was involved.
Luckily, the exes remained friendly.
In fact, it was Helena herself who introduced Kenneth to his future wife, art director Lindsay
Brunnock.
They met again on the set of "Shackletown", a mini-series where he starred and she worked
behind the scenes.
The couple fell for each other.
So much so that, after only being together for a few days, they decided to go on a six-week
holiday!
They got married in 2003 after dating for two years.
The ceremony was super secret and only seven people were present.
In fact, Kenneth's publicist didn't mention the wedding until after it had happened.
Funnily enough, the actor ended up re-marrying in the same year as his ex, Emma!
Branagh and Brunnock's marriage has remained strong for almost two decades.
The actor has decided to keep his marriage out of the spotlight and rarely addresses
it publicly.
However, he did open up about not having kids in 2016.
The star told the Belfast Telegraph that there was "no mystery" around it, it just never
happened.
Branagh hasn't made many comments about his former marriage to Thompson.
However, he did confess to The London Times that the divorce helped him realize there
was more to life than work and that it allowed him to "slow down a bit."
Kenneth and Emma are still friendly with each other and with Helena.
In fact, the three actors have worked together since the infidelity happened.
They have all been a part of the Harry Potter franchise, although each of them debuted in
different installments.
Each of the stars is happy and living their own life.
Here at Rumour Juice, we wish all three the best.