17 January 2024 , 09:38
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Matthew Macfadyen paid tribute to his "best friend" Keeley Hawes as he collected his Emmy on Monday night.
The Succession star may be best known for his on-screen character Tom Wambsgans' toxic marriage with Siobhan 'Shiv' Roy (Sarah Snook) in the hit series, but the actor's own love life is far more wholesome. Matthew, 49, and Line of Duty actress Keeley, 47, are set to celebrate 20 years of marriage in November, making them one of Hollywood's strongest romances, but things haven't always been so rosy for the golden couple. As the showbiz world celebrates Matthew's Emmy success, we take a look at his personal achievement and his relationship with his beloved wife Keeley.
Awful start
Matthew MacFadyen and Keeley Hawes as their Spooks characters Tom and Zoe in 2002 (BBC)Matthew and Keeley may be rock-solid these days, but the loved-up couple didn't get off to the best of starts. Matthew has previously described the moment he first fell in love with the It's A Sin actress as "awful", with the pair meeting on the set of BBC drama Spooks in 2002.
At the time, Keeley was newly married to cartoonist Spencer McCallum, with whom she shares her eldest son Myles, but both Keeley and Matthew have always insisted their romance began after the end of Keeley's marriage. "I'm sure nobody would believe we never had an affair but we really didn't," Keeley has previously shared.
Things got serious quickly for Matthew and Keeley, with the Succession actor even making a grand romantic gesture not unlike a scene from a rom-com. "Matthew just came straight out with it and said 'I love you' in the rain one day," Keeley recalled when revealing when the L word was first uttered. "I thought, 'Oh dear, here we go'."
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Tom and Keeley tied the knot a few months on from her divorce being finalised (PA)
The actress was pregnant with their first child together when they tied the knot (Dave Benett/Getty Images)Spencer and Keeley's divorce was finalised in 2004, with the Bodyguard actress tying the knot for a second time with Matthew in November that same year. The pair eloped, with Keeley pregnant with their first child together at the time of their nuptials. "We rang a mate each to come along as witnesses and people brought little throwaway cameras to take pictures," Tom revealed when recalling his wedding day.
"I read a poem and Keeley cried her eyes out. It was wonderful and romantic," he continued. "Keeley was heavily pregnant with our daughter and the whole thing seemed perfect to me... To get married, celebrate my 30th and then become a father, in quick succession, was fantastic."
"I love being married to Matthew," Keeley told The Telegraph back in 2010. "And I know Matthew loves being married too. It ties everything up and it’s a statement to each other and to the world. Marriage and being a mother are absolutely crucial to my happiness and my life."
Blended family bliss
Keeley and Tom have been able to maintain a good relationship with the Mrs Wilson star's ex-husband Spencer, with Keeley admitting it's a joy for her to see her former spouse and current partner get along so well. "Spencer and I were best friends before we married, and we’ve managed to stay that way," she explained in a past interview. "Happily, both my husband and my ex-husband get along brilliantly. They are both generous people, to each other and to the children."
The actress is mum to her eldest son Myles from her time with Spencer and shares Maggie and Ralph with Pride and Prejudice star Tom. "It was weird at the beginning - becoming a stepfather is quite hard. But it’s lovely now that it’s all come together, Tom admitted. "It feels somehow indivisible. We all get on brilliantly. Myles’ dad is very close, so it’s great. And Myles was so tiny when I came into his life, he cannot remember me not being around."
Working together
Matthew as John Stonehouse and Keeley as Barbara Stonehouse (ITV)The happy couple returned to where it all began in 2007, when they shared a screen once again and both starred in the movie Death at a Funeral. The pair also co-starred in Stonehouse last year, dramatising the life and times of disgraced British government minister John Stonehouse.
Discussing working with her real-life husband, Keeley told the Mirror: We have worked together before, but not for several years. And so when this came up, it seemed like the perfect project on so many levels really, mostly because the Stonehouses are so different to Matthew and I and to our relationship. So it’s nice to see us, I think, and interesting for people who may know that we are married to see us as the 'other' couple."
Tom joking added: "Yeah, it was very difficult working with Keeley. She’s... it was hard. It was hard. No, that’s a silly answer. It was joyful working with Keeley. It was nice, wasn’t it?" Talking in a more serious tone to Town & Country, the Emmy award winner added: "We got to see each other, which is really nice. So often we’re sort of scattered in different countries. But the idea of going to work together was just great. We even took the dog."
The happy couple at the Emmy Awards on Sunday night (Getty Images)Emmy tribute
As he collected his second Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series Emmy this week, Matthew made sure to thank both his on-screen and real-life wife in his acceptance speech. "Our stellar cast, I must make mention to my onscreen wife Sarah Snook and my other onscreen wife, Nicholas Braun. Acting with you has been one of the most wonderful things of my career, thank you Nick, thank you Sarah," he declared on stage.
He went on to pay tribute to his off-screen family at the 75th Emmy Awards, with the man of the moment adding: "Thank you to my actual wife, Keeley, my love and my best friend for being here. Maggie, Myles and Ralph, I love you, I'll see you soon. Thank you so much, this is a great honour."
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