Emma Thompson and Greg Wise's Relationship: All About the Actors' Marriage
Emma Thompson and Greg Wise have been married since 2003
Emma Thompson and Greg Wise have been married for two decades and counting.
The duo first met during the filming of the 1995 period drama Sense and Sensibility, which is based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name. Thompson played Elinor Dashwood and Wise portrayed John Willoughby.
Prior to filming, Wise had visited a “witchy” friend who told him that he would meet the love of his life on the set of the film.
"He assumed it wasn't me because I was married and quite a lot older than him, so he thought it might be Kate [Winslet, Thompson and Wise’s costar on Sense & Sensibility]," Thompson said during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in 2021, per Hello!.
The Matilda star explained that Wise took Winslet to the Glastonbury Festival, but Winslet was “so bored,” prompting Wise to think that his destined partner may be someone else.
She continued, "Then things happened that probably shouldn't have happened, and it's been 25 years in May [2021].”
While speaking to BBC Radio 4 later that year, Thompson got candid about her relationship with Wise, crediting her husband with saving her after the breakup of her first marriage to Kenneth Branagh.
“Work saved me and Greg saved me,” she explained, per Independent. "He picked up the pieces and put them together again.”
Here’s everything to know about Emma Thompson and Greg Wise’s marriage.
Kate Winslet suggested that they date
Thompson and Wise’s relationship was supported by Winslet, who suggested that the pair should get together after Wise had originally pursued the Titanic actress. Although she was married when she first met Wise, Thompson’s marriage to Branagh ended shortly after.
“[Kate] pointed out that we were right for each other and told me that Emma’s marriage was over,” Wise said during an interview with Express, per Hello!. “It was all meant to be, just as my friend Helen had predicted."
They have a 7-year age gap
The couple have seven years between them. Thompson was born on Apr. 15, 1959, while Wise was born on May 15, 1966.
Thompson often shares her refreshing thoughts on aging. In September 2018, as she was approaching her 60th birthday, she opened up to Vulture about her feelings on entering a new decade.
“I think your 60s, if you are well, are the most fantastic decade … so this should be one of the most powerful patches of your life, the youth of old age as it were,” she said. “I'd say it's the best bit ever."
They have two children together
The couple have two kids. Gaia Wise was born on Dec. 4, 1999, and, following in her parents’ footsteps, she is also an actor and appeared alongside her mother in 2008’s Last Chance Harvey and 2015’s A Walk in the Woods.
In 2003, Thompson and Wise adopted Tindyebwa "Tindy" Agaba from Rwanda. Tindy was 16 when he first met Thompson.
Speaking of Gaia and Tindy’s sibling relationship, Thompson told The Guardian in 2010 that Tindy “became Gaia’s big brother very quickly” and that “she adores him.”
They’re both huge Christmas fans
Thompson has starred in several holiday movies, including Love Actually and Last Christmas. During a 2019 appearance on British talk show Loose Women, Wise explained how his wife had taught him to love the Christmas festivities.
“This is our 24th Christmas together. She sort of waterboarded me with Brandy sauce into submission,” he joked.
He went on to explain that he cuts down their own Christmas tree near their cottage in Scotland and enjoys spending time with “chums” and all the “silliness” that comes with it.
In October 2019, the couple curated a book full of heartwarming holiday stories penned by Emilia Clarke, Meryl Streep, Olivia Colman and more.
“We’ve been very fortunate to get together about 50 folk to write their memories of Christmasses past and hopes for future ones,” Wise explained in a video for British booksellers Waterstones. The book includes stories from the couple’s actors and comedians friends as well tales from those in poverty and war.
“Somewhat inspired by our son whose story is also in the book,” Thompson added. “Because he was a refugee and I met him at a Christmas party.”
They attended King Charles’ coronation in 2023
The couple was guests at the coronation of King Charles, which took place in London’s Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. Cookbook writer Manju Malhi attended the ceremony and sat next to Thompson and Wise.
"I asked Greg Wise, is this seat taken? And they both said, 'Yes, sit down.' We were all in it together," Malhi told PEOPLE.
She added that Wise identified some of the music that was being played before the coronation began.
"He was identifying 'Jupiter' from The Planets. It was like I was watching a movie and asking, 'What happened there?'. They were both really lovely."
In 2018, Wise, Tindy and Gaia supported the Nanny McPhee actress as she received a coveted Damehood for her services and contributions to drama. Prince William presented her with the award at Buckingham Palace.
Thompson is a fan of Wise’s baking
Wise enjoys baking, and in 2019, he took part in a celebrity version of The Great British Bake Off in aid of Stand Up to Cancer. His bakes impressed the judges enough that he won the competition.
Thompson supported her husband throughout his time on the show and enjoyed tasting his creations. During an interview on The Graham Norton Show, she admitted to drunkenly eating one of Wise’s showstoppers — which she subsequently blamed on their daughter.
“He created himself and he decided he’d make a sort of pancake-y thing that was a kilt. So he made a kind of structure, which was him, biscuit legs and then this kilt,” the actress explained. “I came in one night and drink had been taken ... I saw the kilt and it looked good. It looked good enough to eat, so I ate it.”
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