EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite split from husband Tom Ellis after he had an affair with Lost star Emelie de Ravin
EASTENDERS actress Tamzin Outhwaite split from husband Tom Ellis after he had an affair with Lost star Emilie de Ravin, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
Tamzin, 46, learned of her identity during a confession by Tom that led to their divorce.
Tom, 38 — best known for playing Gary in BBC comedy Miranda — and Emilie, 35, had been thought to have had a one-off fling as they filmed a series for US TV in 2013.
But Tamzin alluded to the fact it was a short affair in an interview in 2015. She said: “I wouldn’t not be with my husband over a one-night stand is all I’ll say.”
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Tamzin couldn’t believe Tom’s betrayal and was distraught.
“She was excited for him to go over to America and further his career off the back of Miranda while she raised their two daughters and this is how he repaid her.
“The fact that Emilie has a high profile in the States made it harder for Tamzin to get over it but she has always maintained a dignified silence over the identity of the woman who caused the breakdown of her marriage.”
Tamzin, who is thought to be single, admitted that her world fell apart after the end of her eight-year marriage.
But last year the three-time winner of Sexiest Female at the British Soap Awards said she had managed to claw her way back to happiness.
She added: “I’d love to stop time for a while and just exist where we are now for a few years. We’re in a lovely place, my girls are wonderful and they’re at great ages.”
The couple were first introduced in 2005 while Tamzin was appearing on stage with Tom’s friend James McAvoy.
Tom declared that he knew Tamzin was “the person I wanted to spend my life with” just weeks after meeting her.
They married the following year at a ceremony attended by celebs such as Nicole Appleton and Liam Gallagher.
They went on to have two daughters — Florence Elsie, nine, and Marnie May, five.
But Tom’s affair began when he moved to America to star as Robin Hood in fantasy drama Once Upon A Time.
He and Emilie, who played the role of Belle from Beauty and the Beast in the show, exchanged a string of flirty Twitter messages.
At the time Australian-born Emilie had made her name appearing as new mum Claire Littleton in hit drama Lost.
She was married to actor Josh Janowicz, 35, with the pair giving their marriage a second chance after Emilie had filed for divorce in 2007 six months after their wedding.
They later split for good in 2014 after eight years of marriage citing irreconcilable differences.
She has since given birth to daughter Vera Audrey, now two, with boyfriend Eric Bilitch, while Tom got engaged to American actress Meaghan Oppenheimer in March.
In the wake of her split from Tom, Tamzin threw herself into her role of DCI Sasha Miller in BBC’s New Tricks and relied on co-stars, including Nicholas Lyndhurst, for support.
She later said: “I’d have given anything to keep my family together but it wasn’t to be.”
After the final series of the crime comedy-drama in 2015 Tamzin decided to take a sabbatical to devote more time to her girls.
She made a triumphant return to the West End stage earlier this year with a role in dance musical Stepping Out with Amanda Holden.
But she had to pull out of the show before its run was finished due to a stress fracture on her metatarsal.
She said: “I’ve just done a couple of years of theatre, which I love, but now it’s time to do some telly. Sometimes I think someone’s looking after you up there. That’s exactly what I need to do.”
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Tamzin first joined the EastEnders cast as Melanie Healy in 1998.
She was involved in several major storylines including marrying Ian Beale on New Year’s Eve 1999.
Her character later married Steve Owen — played by Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp — before he was killed off in a car crash in 2002.
Tamzin then decided to quit the soap and her character moved to Portugal after getting pregnant.
Tamzin has also managed to keep her relationship with ex-husband Tom amicable for the sake of their children.
She encourages them to see their actor dad — who is now based in Vancouver for much of the year while filming Fox’s supernatural drama Lucifer — as much as possible.
Earlier this year, she said: “When he’s around he’s a hands-on dad, but it’s hard for them as he’s away a lot of the year.
“This summer we’re going to Vancouver so they can see him because they struggle if they don’t. I like him being in their lives as much as possible.”
