Two Actors From The Holiday Actually Used To Date in Real Life
The Holiday is unsurprisingly seeing a major resurgence this Christmas. And from its original casting and impromptu A-list cameos to revelations around Rosehill Cottage and news of a televised remake, the 2006 Nancy Meyers romantic comedy continues to make headlines.
The festive film, starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, follows Iris Simpkins from Surrey and LA-based Amanda Woods, as the pair swap homes over the Christmas holidays. And with a supporting cast including Jude Law, Jack Black, Rufus Sewell, Lindsay Lohan, John Krasinski and James Franco, the rom com is truly star-studded.
![THE HOLIDAY [2006] - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wk9caHO3pW0/maxresdefault.jpg)
It was the behind the scenes romance that got the world talking this week, as news resurfaced that two of The Holiday’s stars actually used to date in real life.
The A-listers in question? Kate Winslet and Rufus Sewell. And with the former couple appearing in The Holiday as exes Iris Simpkins and Jasper Bloom, the news of their IRL romance has gone viral.
Kate Winslet and Rufus Sewell relationship
Kate Winslet and Rufus Sewell had a brief romance in 1995, reportedly dating for several months after working together at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
And while the former couple’s relationship was short-lived, they are known to have ultimately become good friends, with Winslet even opening up about their brief courtship in the past.
"You know, I used to go out with Rufus Sewell years ago," she explained during her 2024 appearance on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio. "Back in the day, a long time ago, I think I must have been 21 or something."
"He's so fantastic […and…] I'm really, really excited to see what he does," she continued. "We're very good friends but it was never a serious relationship."
The former couple reunited onscreen as Iris Simpkins and Jasper Bloom in The Holiday, just 11 years after their real life break up. And despite the script hitting a little close to home, playing two work colleagues navigating their own former break up, Winslet has insisted that filming with her ex partner ran smoothly.
"It was completely fine," Winslet previously explained of her and Sewell’s filming experience to the Irish Examiner. "I hadn’t seen him for a very long time but we’d remained friends.
"It was really not a big deal," she later added. "I was thrilled he got the part."
Well, this is lovely.
The Holiday is available to watch now on Sky Atlantic.
