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Here’s why Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley are the epitome of couple goals

The couple first met in 2009 and now have two children together.


Fabiana Buontempo
Senior Writer
NOVEMBER 5, 2020 2:47 PM EST

Strong, lasting Hollywood relationships are hard to come by nowadays. Yet for all of the famous breakups and divorces that do take place, there are also those couples that have stayed together through thick and thin, such as  Tom Hardy  and Charlotte Riley. When the couple first met, they were at different points in their lives, and little did they know what the future held for the two of them.

Hardy hasn’t had the best luck in his personal relationships but when Riley stepped into his life when he was at a low point, everything changed for him. The couple first met in 2009 on the set of the TV adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” according to The Daily Mail. By this year, the “Black Hawk Down” actor had already been divorced and had a son with his ex-wife. Also during this time in his life, he was just recovering from engaging in drugs and heavy drinking.

The 38-year-old actress didn’t feel the sparks right away when she met Hardy. “It wasn’t love at first cup. In fact, I was a bit unnerved when he suddenly switched into the persona of Charles Bronson [Britain’s most dangerous prisoner who Tom had just played in Bronson],” she said to The Daily Mail in 2013. “After a few cups of tea I realized it was something he did mainly to make people laugh,” she explained.

A year later, the two were engaged. The couple remained engaged for four years and got married in secrecy. While they were engaged, Hardy told Elle in a 2012 interview that, “I can wait for her as long as it takes.” Unlike the tough and rugged roles he often plays, Hardy is actually kind and romantic. Reportedly when he and Riley had to spend time apart working, they would write love letters to one another.

"Dunkirk" World Premiere   Red Carpet Arrivals© GettyImages
The happy couple.

The actor often gushes how much his wife is there to support him through thick and thin and he admires her kind spirit. “Aw, she‘s pure. She’s just a very kind, pure person,” he said to US Weekly in an interview.

The couple now has two children together and are as happiest as can be. This couple shows true love that is built on the foundation of support, love, and kindness does exist.