Keeley Hawes Redefines Middle-Aged Love in New Drama

She is celebrating her 50th birthday and as she enters a new decade in her life, is also tackling a new challenge in her career - the love story. 

'There isn't a Normal People for midlife and yet there’s so much to mine in that age group,' she told Hunger Magazine in her latest interview as she discussed her new project Falling, a drama about middle-aged love. 

The six part series sees Keeley play a nun called Anna, who meets a Catholic priest just once at her convent, but when their coats brush as he is leaving she realises she has fallen in love with him.

Based on a true story, she later receives a letter saying he feels the same way and the pair leave the Church and get married. 

It sounds like the typical love story you watch in the movies, but for Keeley, her own long-lasting marriage to happened in a very similar impulsive , 'love at first sight' like way. 

There was just one problem, Keeley was already married with a young son.

The actress and her husband Matthew are lauded for having one of the strongest marriages in Hollywood after meeting on the set of Spooks 23 years ago in 2002. 

In October, the pair celebrated 21 years of marriage, with Keeley taking to Instagram with a selection of loved up snaps, in what became one of her most liked posts, as she penned: '21 years. No notes. Love you with all my heart.' 

Speaking toshe said: 'It doesn't feel like 21 years, by any means. We just sort of have a nice time. And also, you become more relaxed [as you get older]. 

'It would be weird to have a marriage where things don't go up and down occasionally in 21 years, but we're very happy.' 

Explaining it is the simple things that have resulted in their lasting relationship she said that now their children have left home they make sure to do things together, particularly travelling and spending time for each other. 

Yet their road to happily ever after was by no means smooth sailing, with Matthew previously describing the moment he fell in love with Keeley as 'awful.'   

At the time Keeley, who was then 26, was newly married to DJ Spencer McCallum, with whom she shares 25-year-old son Myles. 

Speaking to the Mail On Sunday in 2005, Matthew confessed he was in turmoil when he first met Keeley as he realised he had feelings for a married woman. 

He explained: 'It was awful because I realised I'd fallen for her. We weren't having an affair and it was a slow process. But I knew the effect she had on me. 

'She's gorgeous. Everyone who meets her will tell you the same thing.'

At first Keeley and Matthew struck up a friendship, with the actress also insisting that nothing happened between them until her marriage ended, saying: 'I'm sure nobody would believe we never had an affair but we really didn't.'

Speaking about the fairytale moment they first said the L word, Keeley recalled: 'Matthew just came straight out with it and said "I love you" in the rain one day. I thought, "Oh dear, here we go.”' 

Choosing to leave her marriage, Keeley's divorce from Spencer was finalised in 2004 but Keeley has revealed there is no bad blood with her ex, explaining: 'Spencer and I were best friends before we married, and we’ve managed to stay that way. 

'Happily, both my husband and my ex-husband get along brilliantly. They are both generous people, to each other and to the children.'

In November 2004, she wed Matthew after the pair eloped. 

Matt recalled: 'We rang a mate each to come along as witnesses and people brought little throwaway cameras to take pictures. 

'I read a poem and Keeley cried her eyes out. It was wonderful and romantic.

'Keeley was heavily pregnant with our daughter and the whole thing seemed perfect to me... To get married, celebrate my 30th and then become a father, in quick succession, was fantastic.'

They welcomed their first child, daughter Maggie, the following month, and their son Ralph two years later in 2006. 

The following year, the couple worked together again on a new project as they appeared in 2007 comedy Death at a Funeral.

They also co-starred in Stonehouse in 2023, dramatising the life and times of disgraced  minister John Stonehouse.

The series followed love cheat Labour MP John Stonehouse, who . 

While playing the jilted wife in the show, Keeley insisted that her union was the complete opposite to that of politician John and Barbara.

She told the Mirror: 'We have worked together before, but not for several years. And so when this came up, it seemed like the perfect project on so many levels really, mostly because the Stonehouses are so different to Matthew and I and to our relationship.

'So it’s nice to see us, I think, and interesting for people who may know that we are married to see us as the "other" couple.'

They also co-starred in Stonehouse in 2023, dramatising the life and times of disgraced British government minister John Stonehouse (pictured)