Keeley Hawes Talks Acting with Husband, Sets Boundaries

has said that whilst she loves working with her Emmy-winner husband , they definitely do not consider themselves a 'power couple'.  

The couple met on the set of BBC show Spooks in 2002 and will celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary this year. 

To the excitement of fans, they teamed up again for the 2023 show Stonehouse, and Keeley has gushed that she is keen to continue their onscreen partnerships.

'I'd love to work with my husband!' Keeley, 50, told Grazia. 'I love my husband. I love working with my husband,' adding that the Succession star has 'got excellent taste' in scripts. 

Between them they have seven nominations, two wins and fifty years of acting experience, but Keeley insisted they are not a power couple, musing:

'Do you ever feel like a power anything? Not really. You just feel like two people talking about who's going to get the dry-cleaning.' 

Keeley is mum to 25-year-old son, Myles with her ex husband Spencer McCallum and she and Matthew, 51, share daughter Maggie, 21, and son Ralph, 19.

The actress has revealed though that only her youngest son wants to follow in his parent's well-trodden footsteps, proudly gushing that 'he's just got into drama school. I've got a primary schoolteacher, a hair and make-up artist and – hopefully – an actor.' 

Whilst she has an acting family, the TV star also cryptically revealed in the interview that there are some fellow stars who are an immediate red flag. 

Keeley founded her own production company in 2019, which has headed up the likes of black comedy Finding Alice and  thriller Crossfire. 

Admitting that the producing side of her job 'is not glamorous,' she explained how picking scripts is based on instinct.

'[I look for] readability. You start reading it like a book. It's almost like having a chemical reaction.' She added though that 'there are a couple of actors…' who are red flags in determining if she will say yes. 

Keeley and 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.