Inside Rufus Sewell's 'rocky' life - age-gap fiancée, quick divorces, two kids

06 December 2023 , 13:11

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The Holiday actor Rufus Sewell is engaged to his girlfriend, American actress Vivian Benitez (Image: Instagram/ @vivv)

British actor Rufus Sewell will tie the knot for the third time after proposing to American actress Vivian Benitez.

The 56-year-old film star, best known for his role as Jasper in festive film The Holiday, is engaged to his 26-year-old girlfriend, the couple announced today. Vivian, who starred in Criminal Minds, posted a snap of them cuddling up to each other with a stunning diamond ring on her finger, and wrote: "Til death, (or him continuing to walk on bathmats with his outside shoes) do us part."

It is believed Rufus popped the all-important question while they were on a romantic getaway to Rome, with Vivian - who is 30 years his junior and just five years older than Rufus' son - sharing beautiful photos of the Italian city on social media just days before the happy news. It will be Rufus' third time getting married, having been divorced twice before. Here, we take a look at the actor's dating history and family life off-screen.

Rufus was married to his first wife, fashion journalist Yasmin Abdallah, for one year in 1999 (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Rufus is a proud father of two and has a son called Billy with his ex-wife (pictured) (Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)

The star was born in London in 1967 to an Australian animator father and a pianist mother, who divorced when he was five years old. Rufus and his older brother would split their time between their mum's in Twickenham and their dad's in Soho, until their father tragically died when Rufus was just 10. As a teen, he took up acting and went on to star in his first film, Twenty-One, aged 24, in 1991.

During his career, he's dated many famous faces, including fellow actors Kate Winslet, Helen McCrory and Helena Bonham Carter. Rufus' first wife was his long-term girlfriend, Australian fashion journalist Yasmin Abdallah. They met in Australia when Rufus was 19 and married in 1999 after years of being together. They divorced just one year later in 2000. Yasmin has previously revealed they met in a bar and decided to relocate to the UK together after several months of dating.

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When in England, they mixed with the Primrose Hill set. Yasmin told Elle: "I ended up making some wrong decisions, wrong business decisions, and I ended up losing the store, which was devastating for me. Rufus and I were no longer together, and that was quite traumatic. I was broke. It was a time of big loss. But it was also a time of great healing, when I went on - dare I say it - a spiritual journey."

Rufus later married his second wife, scriptwriter and producer Amy Gardner, in 2004. Unfortunately, their marriage was not to last and they divorced two years later in 2006. The couple share a 21-year-old son, William Douglas, and Amy later married film producer Will Ricker. After his second divorce, Rufus told the Daily Mail: "It's always been important to be in a relationship when I'm in one, but I don't actively look for one. I've gone through long times without being with someone, but that's not happened for a while."

Rufus was married to ex-wife Amy Sewell for two years and they share a son together (WireImage for Sony Pictures-Los Angeles)

Rufus shares a 10-year-old daughter called Lola with his former girlfriend, editor Ami Komai (FilmMagic)

Rufus also had a daughter, Lola, 10, from his relationship with magazine editor Ami Komai, and she reportedly splits her time between her parents' homes. In 2021, Rufus described his personal life as a "rocky road" in an interview with The Telegraph, and said he spent lockdown juggling co-parenting with ex-girlfriend Ami, "either looking forward to having a day off [from his daughter] or looking forward to having her back".

In 2017, Rufus shared an insight into parenthood and took to social media to post a throwback photo of his daughter's sweet school project. "Just re-discovered this. From my daughter's school project earlier this year. She was three," he wrote on Twitter, alongside a picture of her work. Lola said she loved chicken and broccoli, owls and the colours pink and purple, and in the 'When I grow up I want to be...' section, she wrote 'By myself' - a comment that was praised by fans.

And earlier this year, Rufus posted a photo of his son as a child, grinning and wearing a smart blazer, on Instagram to celebrate his 21st birthday. "Happy 21st to Billy Sewell. Seen here when he was the youngest geography teacher in London," he jokingly wrote, and did not tag his son's social media account.

Rufus and his new fiancée - who is 30 years his junior and just five years older than his son - have made some red carpet appearances together, but they tend to keep their romance out of the spotlight. Back in 2021, the couple put on a loved-up display at the premiere of Old in New York. They both also share snaps of each other on their social media accounts.

The actor is set to star as Prince Andrew in an upcoming drama about Newsnight's bombshell interview with the Duke. It will detail the story behind the interview with Gillian Anderson playing Emily Maitlis, who grilled Andrew in November 2019 over his relationship with late billionaire and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Nia Dalton