Tom Hardy may have faced a lot of ups and downs in his life, but after his found Charlotte Riley, things seemed to click in place for him.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 17, 2019. It has since been updated.
Tom Hardy may be cold, unfeeling and dangerous on screen with his roles in movies such as Black Hawk Down, Venom, Dark Knight Rises and Peaky Blinders to say the least. But when reel life comes to an end and the cameras are turned off, it seems he is the antithesis of the roles he takes on. And no one knows his charming, romantic side better than the love of his life, Charlotte Riley. After all, he had finally managed to find her after going through one heartbreak after another.
The first time the couple laid eyes on each other was when they were cast as Cathy and Heathcliff in the 2009 TV adaption of Wuthering Heights, according to The Daily Mail.
At the time, Hardy had been divorced once and had just gotten out of a breakup with his first son Louis' mother, Racheal Speed. Yet, he knew he had found something truly special and Riley felt the same.
"It wasn’t love at first cup," she told the news outlet. "In fact, I was a bit unnerved when he suddenly switched into the persona of Charles Bronson [Britain’s most dangerous prisoner, played by Tom in the film Bronson]. After a few cups of tea I realised it was something he did mainly to make people laugh."
Charmed by his demeanor, it didn't take long for the two to get together. By 2010, the two were engaged, according to Hello! Magazine. But despite their engagement status, the two were not in a rush to walk down the aisle.
According to The Telegraph, when asked this question, the Bronson actor replied, "You’d have to ask Charlotte when we’re getting married. She’s a difficult woman to pin down, as she’s always so busy with work." But that didn't stop him from sticking right by her side. In a 2012 interview with Elle magazine, the 42-year-old actor said, "I can wait for her as long as it takes." This wasn't the old-fashioned true love story element that they had going for them though.
When the two of them spent their time apart, they showed their love by writing letters to each other as much as they could. The London Has Fallen actress revealed to the Daily Mail, "I’ve always been a keen letter writer and so Tom and I write to each other most days when we are apart – or at least every other day."
After four years of being engaged, the two finally tied the knot in a secret wedding in 2014. And they haven't looked back since. Talking to Us Weekly, he revealed what he loved the most about his wife. He said, "Aw, she's pure. She's just a very kind, pure person."
And it was proven when she easily accepted Louis into their lives. "Louis is four and the most incredible, intelligent, creative little human being I have ever met – he is amazing. I feel very honoured to be his stepmum," Riley said about Hardy's son. And she also wants children of her own as she said, "Hell, yes, I want babies, lots of them. Definitely, absolutely definitely."
He might be big and bad in most of his movies, but with his wife, he is a marshmallow. So much so that the couple even have nicknames for each other; he calls her "Charlie Monkey" while she calls him "Boo". And when asked "Are you as tough in real life as you are on screen?" by Cosmopolitan, all the actor had to say was "Ha! Me? Tough? No! My fiancée (now wife) Charlotte has, pound for pound, a better punch than I do!"
In October 2015, the couple welcomed their first child together before welcoming another in 2018.
And parenting had taken Hardy on a totally different tangent, as he told Esquire. "What I’m saying is, there is no harder job on the planet, and more important, than parenting. You’ve got the military, police, doctors, service personnel — massive respect, huge consequences — but parenting? It’s beyond a job, isn’t it," he says as he tries to figure out a way to make a Captain America shield for his son.
He had even moved with Riley to a more remote location to help bring up their children, according to Mirror UK. A source said, "Tom is living his new life in the country and has been seen dog-walking every morning. He feels it’s the perfect place for him and Charlotte to bring up their new baby."
The versatile actor has also proven his mettle when it comes to splitting the chores with his wife. When the 37-year-old actress was questioned about her husband's contribution around the house, according to The Herald, "He's great around the house. We do designated things. I love recycling. He's good at making the bed. It works brilliantly." So whether they're co-starring in a movie or living life in real time, the couple know how to work through their obstacles and keep the passion alive.
References:
https://www.hellomagazine.com/brides/2014092121052/tom-hardy-charlotte-riley-reportedly-married/
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a14248/tom-hardy-the-dark-knight-rises/
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/tom-hardy-and-charlotte-riley-2014234/
https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/film/a22649015/tom-hardy-venom/
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/tom-hardy-moves-countryside-after-13128155
