Jessie Buckley Overcomes Fear of Love with Marriage

Jessie Buckley has said she was 'scared of love' for most of her life before settling down with husband Freddie Sorensen.

The Hamnet star, 36, who has received her first Best Actress Oscar nomination for the role, tied the knot with Freddie at their home in Norfolk, England, in 2023.

Jessie and Freddie, 47, who works in the mental health sector and was previously a producer, including a stint working alongside Simon Cowell on the X Factor, are parents to a daughter who was born last year.

But the actress has now confessed it took her a long time to find the right relationship as she finds love 'terrifying'.

'I think love is terrifying,' she told Deadline. 'I have been scared of love for a lot of my life, and it took me a long while to discover what that word even meant for me, not just the idea of it.

'I think sometimes love at first sight, it's too much of a projected idea for it to … I think it takes … You can't just make a meal. You have to cook it.'

Jessie Buckley has said she was 'scared of love' for most of her life before settling down with husband Freddie Sorensen (Jessie seen last week)

The Hamnet star, 36, who has received her first Best Actress Oscar nomination for the role, tied the knot with Freddie at their home in Norfolk, England, in 2023 (Seen with Freddie in January)

When asked if she believes in love at first sight, Jessie replied: 'Yeah, I do. I think it's not what I ever expect it to be. The real stuff is not ever what I expect it to be.

'So even that magnetism might transcend or transform into a very different, layered, complex, full thing. And I guess that depends on where you are in your life and how open you are to that.'

Jessie has mostly kept her personal life private, but she opened up about the couple's wedding during an appearance on the Table Manners podcast in 2024.

She detailed a fun-filled wedding - which featured a keg of Guinness - their 'many moons' instead of one honeymoon and how the pair have been enjoying East Anglia.

Speaking about her husband, she gushed: 'He is gorgeous!' 

Jessie explained: 'When we first started dating we - because we lived in Dalston [in London] - we would go to the Towpath [cafe] all the time … so they came and did the food for us [at the wedding].'

She added of her big day: 'One of my favorite memories of the day was like - we, I wanted a keg of Guinness and I definitely wanted their cheese toasties at a certain hour.'

Jessie also discussed life as a first-time mother during an appearance on the New York Times' Modern Love podcast in December, saying: 'Everyone's doing great … Everything's different … Everything's new.

Jessie and Freddie, 47, who works in the mental health sector, are parents to a daughter who was born last year (Seen together in 2022)

But the actress has now confessed it took her a long time to find the right relationship as she finds love 'terrifying' (Jessie and Freddie seen last month)

Jessie has mostly kept her personal life private, but she opened up about the couple's wedding during an appearance on the Table Manners podcast in 2024 (Jessie and Freddie seen last month)

'This little human's new. You're new. Your relationship's new. Your whole relationship to the world is new. It's intense, but it's just - I just love it. I love it so much ...

'I really can see her little personality start to come through. I see this life force in her and determination. And I hope she loves life as much as I do.'

Jessie and Freddie met on a blind date set up by mutual friend Marc Robinson, with whom she worked on her 2018 breakout film Wild Rose. 

The couple split their time 50/50 between east London and Norfolk, where they have a home together.

They initially considered settling down in Suffolk where they met due to their associations of falling in love in the place, but were won over by Norfolk.

Last year, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter who is now four months old (Jessie seen while pregnant in April last year)

Last year, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter who is now four months old.

Jessie's wedding came seven years after her self-described 'acrimonious' split from Happy Valley star James Norton, 40, whom she dated from 2015 to 2017. 

She previously said: 'We have broken up, yes. It was acrimonious, but it's a tough job to have a relationship and he is a great man and we are great friends. 

'That's it. How diplomatic can I sound?'