Jane Austen would undoubtedly approve of Keeley Hawes’ marriage to a real-life Mr. Darcy, who also stars in Line of Duty and Miss Austen.
The BBC’s latest historical drama Miss Austen has been a roaring success, captivating viewers with its period charm. Starring actress Keeley Hawes, the series explores the life of Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra.
With critics and fans praising the new series, Keeley, 49, has once again found herself in the spotlight. While Keeley may be best known for roles in Line of Duty, Bodyguard, and The Durrells, her husband is none other than Matthew Macfadyen – yes, the same Matthew Macfadyen who brought an unforgettable Mr Darcy to life in the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, opposite Keira Knightley.
His rain-soaked confession of love remains one of cinema’s most iconic romance moments, and now in a new podcast appearance, Keeley has given fans an unique and refreshingly honest insight into their marriage.
And from the sounds of it, she’s just as lucky as Lizzie Bennet herself.
READ MORE: How to stream Wicked online as it becomes one of the highest box office earners of 2024
Because despite being the star of Succession, Matthew, 50, is quite the gentleman around the house – as he cooks for Keeley every single night.
What should we have for dinner tonight, Keeley explains. “Matthew wakes up in the morning and will say that.” At like seven o’clock in the morning. I’m like, ‘ I don’t know. I don’t care! ‘”.
Meanwhile, Keeley couldn’t be less interested in cooking thanks to growing up in the 80s when the microwave became a staple for households. “Cooking wasn’t a thing, was it?,” she tells the Dish from Waitrose podcast with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett MBE. “The microwave was a big sexy new thing in the kitchen. Ready meals. So, it was a bad time really, that formative period.”
As a result, her diet typically consists of tuna, cheese, and other easily assembled meals. Though she admits to not being the best at cooking, she did pretend to be a pro-chef at the start of their relationship.
“He was like, ‘ Yeah, I like cooking, ‘ I was like, ‘ Yeah, yeah, so do I. ‘ I made out with some sort of lamb goulash or something. I simply went into the kitchen and heated up this thing before dumping some things in it and turning the lights very low.
The couple got married in 2004 and had two children, Maggie and Ralph. Keeley also has a son from her previous marriage, Myles McCallum.
Despite being a three-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, Keeley reveals her career is a stroke of luck. Following the success of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Keeley’s primary school teacher encouraged her to enroll in a drama school in the wealthy borough of Marylebone in central London.
“My teacher at my primary school said to my parents, ‘ she really loves it'”, she says. She began a drama program close to where she was a child. “I could hear them sort of singing and saw the sign up outside and said, actually, I’d like to go there”, she says. “And I auditioned and I was helped with a grant, and I went. It was kind of geography. It was merely a lucky deed.
From there, she went on to train as a child actor, appearing in TV shows, theatre productions, and commercials before breaking into major roles as an adult. Her career took off with Karaoke, where she starred alongside Richard E Grant, who she fondly remembers for his kindness.
Keeley has found her own happily ever after with a very well-known Mr. Darcy by her side, despite the fact that she may be playing a pivotal role in the Austen universe right now off-screen.
All podcast providers have access to Dish from Waitrose.
READ MORE: Shoppers wowed by Zara’s new ‘elegant’ £40 dress that’s ‘so Vivienne Westwood’
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply