Imogen Poots tried to keep her heartbreaking split from fiancé James Norton a secret.
The actress, 34, and the Happy Valley star, 38, decided to end their six-year relationship before Christmas after ‘splitting’.
But the couple decided to quietly split, according to a source. close to the couple told MailOnline: “Imogen, for some reason, didn’t want people to know.”
The ‘free spirit’ actress previously spoke about how she ‘wasn’t ready to slow down’ because she wanted to travel the world, while James has been open about his hopes of wanting a family. She said that in 2021 “my melancholy barometer is starting.”
Imogen split her time between New York and London, but said: “I’ve never seen anything fall apart because of distance.”
She said The evening standard back in 2020: ‘It’s all I’ve ever known. I consider work to be my happy place, in a way. Because that’s all I’ve ever known: pack your bag and move on.
Imogen Poots tried to keep her split from fiancé James Norton a secret. The actress, 34, and the actor, 38, decided to end their six-year relationship before Christmas (pictured in February)
The ‘free spirit’ actress previously spoke about how she split her time between New York and London (pictured with James in New York in 2021).
‘That restlessness that is inherent to you is very addictive. And I guess now I’m supposed to slow down and start a farm or something. But I’m not ready to do that. I want to continue exploring the world.’
James previously said his 2020 film Nowhere Special, in which he played the dying father of a three-year-old boy, started his ‘gloom barometer’ and that he was looking forward to becoming a father.
He said The Guardian in 2021: “I’m about 30, I’ve always wanted a family, my sister has kids, my melancholy barometer is starting anyway.”
In an interview last year to promote the Happy Valley finale, James said of his busy life as an actor: “It comes at a cost because we don’t see each other much, but we’re willing to pay that for the benefit of having someone.” in your life, close to you, who understands it, who forgives, who will give up their Sunday to record an annoying self-recording (audition).’
The two have been working almost constantly, with James filming the Bob Marley biopic One Love, which premiered in Los Angeles and London this week.
He plays Island Records founder Chris Blackwell.
Imogen spent time in New Mexico in 2022 doing the drama Outer Range.
Imogen was last seen with James after the opening night of A Little Life, an adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s novel, in March 2023 (pictured).
The pair have been working almost constantly, with James, 38, filming the Bob Marley biopic One Love, which premiered in Los Angeles and London this week.
Imogen spent time in New Mexico in 2022 doing the drama Outer Range (pictured in New Mexico)
James previously said that his 2020 film, Nowhere Special, in which he played the dying father of a three-year-old boy, started his ‘melancholy barometer’.
The couple also appear to have unfollowed each other on social media, and Imogen is not among those who like any of Norton’s recent Instagram posts about the film.
In an interview last year to promote the Happy Valley finale, he said of his busy life as an actor: “It takes a toll because you don’t see each other much” (James pictured).
“James and Imogen have extremely busy work lives and have found it difficult to see each other,” a source said. Sun.
‘They broke up and broke up last year. It hasn’t been easy for either of them, but they keep their heads down and move forward.
The couple’s romance began in December 2017, a few months after James split from Irish singer and actress Jessie Buckley, 34, whom he was with for two years.
They got together after meeting during a performance of the play Belleville at the Donmar Warehouse in 2017.
In 2020, Imogen, who starred in The Father with Anthony Hopkins, moved into James’ home in London, before settling in at home together.
They got engaged in February 2022 after five years of dating.
Imogen was last seen with James after the opening night of A Little Life, an adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s novel, in March 2023.
However, there has been no sign of her at any of the One Love premieres, in Jamaica, Los Angeles or London.
The couple also appear to have unfollowed each other on social media, with Imogen not among those liking any of Norton’s recent Instagram posts about the film.
James, who went to Ampleforth College before reading Theology at Cambridge, recently completed Joy, a Netflix film about the first ‘test tube baby’ Louise Brown.
He is now making Playing Nice, a four-part ITV drama about parents who discover their children were accidentally switched at birth. James is an executive producer of that show through his own company, Rabbit Track Productions.
Imogen is now on set in Northamptonshire making Hedda, a new adaptation of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler.
Spokespeople for Imogen and James did not respond to requests for comment this week.