Titanic beauty Kate Winslet is dating American Beauty director Sam Mendes, he confirms, just three months after the actress split from husband Jim Threapleton. And while the new couple met to discuss a possible collaboration just weeks before Kate’s stunning divorce announcement, Sam insists he had no part in the break-up.
“I have nothing to hide and I want to make sure the truth is clearly stated about us,” he told the Daily Mail. “Yes, we are having a relationship. It’s early days and we’re very happy… It happened and it’s happening. I am delighted to express my happiness at being with Kate.”
The two met in August to mull over a possible project at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre in London, where Sam is artistic director. And while he admits there were sparks from the beginning, the two remained on strictly professional terms. “We didn’t acknowledge what we were feeling about each other until sometime in September,” he says. “It was absolutely appropriate as I was not in a relationship and neither was Kate.”
Rumours of an affair between the two first surfaced last week when they were spotted Stateside at a luxury hotel. The 36-year-old director is in Los Angeles finishing up The Road To Perdition with Tom Hanks but hopped a short flight to Texas where Kate is busy filming The Life Of David Gale with Kevin Spacey and Alan Parker. The two holed up in a £400-suite at the Barton Creek Country Club Hotel with her baby Mia in tow.
Kate reportedly told Jim of her new love two weeks ago, but when questioned about the affair, he seemed decidedly uninformed. “I didn’t know. I really don’t want to comment, but I will be doing so in due course,” he said. The former couple will likely discuss her new boyfriend when Jim crosses the Atlantic in the coming weeks to spend time with Mia.
Though Sam was eager to set the record straight, Kate remained mum on her romantic entanglements. “Mia’s the love of my life and the most important person in my life,” she said. “I’m in Texas making a film and her dad is coming out to visit and be with her. He calls all the time and is a very loving dad.”This is not Sam’s first high-profile dalliance. The famed director has stepped out with Jane Horrocks and Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart in the past, and had been dating The Mummy stunner Rachel Weisz up until March.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
