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Ruth Wilson as Lorna Brady in The Woman In the Wall© Chris Barr,BBC

The Woman in the Wall star Ruth Wilson's love life and dating history with A-List stars

The actress stars as Lorna in the new BBC thriller

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
August 27, 2023
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Ruth Wilson is a familiar face on our screens thanks to her impressive TV and film career. The actress has appeared in various gripping dramas over the years, including LutherHis Dark Materials and Mrs Wilson – and her latest BBC One drama, The Woman in the Wall, sounds just as compelling. 

The gothic thriller series examines the legacy of The Magdalene Laundries, one of Ireland's most shocking scandals. Watch the trailer below. 

WATCH: Ruth Wilson stars in The Woman in the Wall

Ruth is set to be a regular fixture on our TV screens for the next few weeks. But how much do you know about her life away from the cameras? Find out more about her love life and dating history…

Who is Ruth Wilson dating?

Ruth is in a relationship with an American writer, whom she has never publicly named. While the pair are in a long-term romance, Ruth has no intentions of walking down the aisle anytime soon. 

Opening up about her views on marriage, Ruth told The Guardian: "I believe in connections; I've got a very strong relationship, and have had for a number of years.

Ruth Wilson in The Woman In the Wall© Chris Barr
Ruth Wilson stars in The Woman In the Wall

"I believe the value of having someone in your life who understands you and sees you is enormous. And I'm so glad I have it. But I don't believe in institutions," she explained, adding: "I feel slightly restricted by having to conform to someone else's idea of what a relationship is, or where you should be at this time in your life. It feels dogmatic to me."

Ruth Wilson's dating history

While Ruth clearly likes to keep her personal life out of the spotlight, she has been linked to major Hollywood stars in the past. Take a look at some of her rumoured romances.

Jude Law

Back in 2011, it was reported that Ruth was romantically linked to actor Jude Law after the pair appeared in the same stage adaptation of Anna Christie. 

While the co-stars were rumoured to have kissed during a night out, neither party confirmed the relationship.

Ruth Wilson and Jude Law in 2011© Dave M. Benett
Ruth Wilson and Jude Law pictured in 2011

Speaking about Jude in an interview with the Evening Standard from 2011, she said: "He instantly disarms you because he's so generous and open and hard-working. There's no ego at all, with Jude."

The pair are clearly still good friends as they collaborated on a feature film back in 2021. Their respective production companies worked together on the movie, True Things, which was released in 2022. 

Jake Gyllenhaal

In 2015, Ruth was rumoured to be dating Jake Gyllenhaal. The pair co-starred in a Broadway play called Constellations.

Rumours of their romance began to circulate after they were reportedly spotted kissing and holding hands at a Golden Globes after-party. However, Ruth seemed to shut down the rumours in an interview with ABC News at the time. 

Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson performing Constellations on Broadway in New York in 2015 © Walter McBride
Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson performing in the Broadway play, Constellations, in New York in 2015

"He's adorable, a really good guy," she said of her co-star. "We've become like brother and sister a little bit. We spend so much time together. We trust that even if we have a little [disagreement] -- which is going to happen because we're in a tense environment that demands a lot from us -- we'll make up and we'll be fine. I trust him implicitly."

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What is The Woman in the Wall about? 

The series follows Ruth's character, Lorna Brady, a woman from the small, fictional Irish town of Kilkinure, who wakes up one morning to discover a corpse in her house. 

The synopsis continues: "Lorna has no idea who the dead woman is, or if she herself might be responsible. That’s because Lorna has long suffered from extreme bouts of sleepwalking ever since she was ripped from her life at the age of 15 and incarcerated in a convent. There, Lorna gave birth to her daughter Agnes, who was cruelly taken from her and whose fate Lorna has never known.

Daryl McCormack plays Detective Colman Akande© Colin Barr
Daryl McCormack plays Detective Colman Akande

"Unluckily for Lorna, Detective Colman Akande (Daryl McCormack) is now also on her tail, for a crime seemingly unrelated to the body she has discovered in her house.

"As Colman searches for a murderer and Lorna searches for her daughter, their paths collide in ways they could never have anticipated. Lorna’s search for Agnes will take her deep into her own past and to the heart of Kilkinure’s darkest secrets, as she and Colman seek the answers they each so desperately need."

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