Why did Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson split up?

Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie are both national treasures – but did you know that the pair once dated? The couple, who previously co-starred in Sense and Sensibility and have reunited for ITV's Agatha Christie series Why Didn't They Ask Evans, went to Cambridge university together and remain good friends – so why did they ever split up? Find out here…

 Speaking about Emma when she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he said: "We actually stepped out together briefly as teenagers, until she dumped me for a mime artist. I'll say that again, she dumped me for a mime artist. No matter!"

He also warmly spoke of knowing how talented Emma was when they were students, adding: "She was the most obnoxiously talented person… She said talented things, she wore talented clothes, she rode a talented bicycle, she made talented spaghetti. It was really irritating."

© Dave Benett

The actor, who is perhaps best known for playing the title role in House, told The Telegraph: "Those were blissful days, I must say. Life was all about fun back then. Watching Emma was like watching the sun or wind or some other elemental force. Her talent even then was inescapable."

MORE: Meet Why Didn't They Ask Evans star Hugh Laurie's three children

MORE: Meet House star Hugh Laurie's wife Jo Green here

Emma was also full of praise for Hugh, telling The Guardian: "He is one of those rare people who manages to be lugubriously sexy, like a well-hung eel." She added to Time magazine: "He was rowing in the Oxford and Cambridge boat race. He was enormous and eating steak all the time. And sleep for the rest of the time… He was also very funny."

© Isabel Infantes - PA Images

The pair went on to have very loving marriages, with Hugh marrying theatre administrator Jo Green in 1989, with the pair sharing three children, Charlie, Bill and Rebecca. Meanwhile, Emma tied the knot with Kenneth Branaugh in 1989 before splitting in 1995. She later wed her Sense and Sensibility co-star Greg Wise, telling The Observer: "Work saved me and Greg saved me. He picked up the pieces and put them together again." The pair share one daughter, Gaia, and an adopted son, Tindyebwa Agaba Wise. 

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