Harry Potter stars’ VERY unconventional love lives – scandalous mid-air romp to bitter love triangle and Playboy shoots
LOVE triangles, airline romps and some seriously long-distance romances... these Harry Potter stars have conjured up some very unusual romances over the years.
This week, fans bid a sad farewell to legendary actor Sir Michael Gambon, who passed away at the age of 82 following a bout of pneumonia.
The star, who played Dumbledore in six of the films, had an untraditional marriage, openly maintaining a mistress on the side whom he shared two love children with.
Until his death, he had been married to Lady Anne Gambon since 1962, but in 2002 he revealed that he was also in a relationship with set designer Phillipa Hart, who was 25 years his junior.
After his second child with Phillipa was born in 2009, a friend told The Sun: "Michael is open with his wife and she accepts the second relationship, though there have been rows in the past."
And Sir Michael was not the only Harry Potter cast member with an unusual love life.
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Mile-high scandal
English actor delivered a chilling performance as the villainous Lord Voldemort, but his love life has been equally dramatic.
In 2007, he landed himself in hot water when he romped with flight attendant Lisa Robertson on a Qantas flight from Darwin to Mumbai.
The pair are said to have escaped to the flight's lavatory mid-air for the rendezvous.
Although they initially strongly denied the claims, it was later established that the incident did take place, leading to the termination of her employment with the airline.
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After remaining tight-lipped for a few days on the matter, Ralph, 60, said through his publicist: "She initiated the encounter. This woman seduced him on a plane. She was the sexual aggressor.
"Yet she said in her official statement (to Qantas) that he had initiated it ... and virtually accused him of forcing himself upon her.''
In an interview years later, Lisa said: "We both did the wrong thing, you know. What we did was silly, and it was inappropriate and very unprofessional of me."
Three's a crowd
Helena Bonham Carter and Emma Thompson are two of the most iconic British actresses of all time.
So naturally, interests were piqued when they found themselves entangled in a shocking love triangle with fellow Harry Potter star Kenneth Branagh.
When Kenneth and Emma married in 1989, they became the biggest power couple on the British movie scene and were dubbed 'Ken and Em'.
However, their relationship came crashing down when he began an affair with Helena on the set of the 1994 horror film Frankenstein.
Emma, 64, was said to have been devastated when she found out about the affair and filed for divorce in 1995. Ken and Helena, however, stayed together for another four years.
In 2013, Emma said that she had forgiven Helena over the affair and commented on how similar they both are.
She said: "Oh we are. Being slightly mad and a bit fashion-challenged. Perhaps that’s why Ken loved us both. She’s a wonderful woman, Helena."
She told the Sunday Times: “You can’t hold on to anything like that. It’s pointless. I haven’t got the energy for it. Helena and I made our peace years and years ago,” she said.
Sweeney Todd actress Helena, 57, went on to find love with movie director Tim Burton and had an unconventional marriage where they lived in adjacent houses.
They divorced in 2014 - she is now with writer and academic Rye Dag Holmboe, who at 35 is 22 years her junior.
Playboy heir
In 2015, fans were surprised to learn that Scarlett Byrne, 32, who played Slytherin Patsy Parkinson, had got engaged to Cooper Hefner, the son of the late Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner.
They tied the knot in 2019 and had their first child a year later. Last year, they welcomed twin daughters.
Two years after their engagement, Scarlett posed in the buff for Playboy's March/April 2017 issue.
Teasing her shoot on Instagram at the time, she wrote: "I'm very proud to be a part of the March/April issue of Playboy. I penned a short essay along with my pictorial titled, ‘The Feminist Mystique’.
"A big thank you to @Playboy, the creative team, and @cooperbhefner for such a unique opportunity."
Secret cast romance
Co-stars getting together is certainly nothing new - but it's more surprising when they manage to keep a secret romance going for almost a decade.
That was the case with Evanna Lynch, 32, who starred as Luna Lovegood, and Robbie Jarvis, 37, who played a young version of Harry's father James Potter.
They first met on set during the filming of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and kept their relationship a secret for nine years.
Their pairing only became public knowledge when she posted an adorable picture to celebrate his 29th birthday in 2015 - they split up a year later.
Evanna is now in a relationship with a mystery man and - once again - has kept tight-lipped about their romance.
Met at... Harry Potter world
In 2018, Matthew Lewis, 34, who played Neville Longbottom, revealed that he had tied the knot with American beauty Angela Jones, 32, in a romantic Italian ceremony.
The pair first locked eyes at Universal Studios Orlando, where she worked as an event planner for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, in January 2016.
She was in charge of taking care of VIP guests - like Matthew!
They are said to have hit it off instantly, with Angela writing in her blog: "I never believed in soul mates until we met. We came from two different countries, 4,334 miles apart, and yet we were one and the same."
Angela, who was divorced at the time, quit her job to be with him. After dating for 11 months, he during a trip to Paris.
Although they had to date over Facetime due to their locations, their marriage ended their long-distance situation.
Long-distance, long time
Miriam Margolyes has been in a relationship with historian Heather Sutherland for 53 years - despite never having lived together.
They met through a mutual friend in 1967 while working on a BBC drama and currently live in different countries, which the Professor Sprout actress says is the secret to their long-lasting union.
She said: “We've probably lasted this long because we have always led completely separate lives.”
Although they are in constant communication, she explained in her autobiography that they actually see each other just eight times a year and only stay together when they go on holiday.
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“We were able to lead our lives without diminishing them,” she said in an interview with Vogue. “I didn't want her to have to give up anything. And I didn't want to give up anything.”
Australian Heather is a historian and a former professor at a university in Amsterdam.