Fans were stunned to learn billionaire Elon Musk's ex-wife, actor Talulah Riley, is engaged to actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster, best known for playing the lovestruck kid Sam in the holiday classic Love Actually.
The surprising news broke when a Twitter user congratulated the couple after Riley—who married and divorced Musk twice—announced their engagement on her own Twitter account.
Brodie-Sangster—who is also known for his appearances on Game of Thrones and an Emmy-nominated performance on The Queen’s Gambit, has been publicly dating Riley since July 2022.
Their relationship blossomed during the filming of the British miniseries Pistol. However, based on Riley’s tweet, it seems they had been keeping their relationship under wraps for a year before that.
In a joyful tweet, Riley—known for her roles in Pride and Prejudice and Westworld—shared:
“Very happy to share that after two years of dating, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and I are engaged!”
You can see her tweet below.
Musk even thanked the couple himself.
The unexpected pairing of Brodie-Sangster and Riley quickly took social media by storm, raising eyebrows among those who remember the former as the endearing Sam from Love Actually or as Ferb from the animated series Phineas and Ferb.
Many have congratulated the couple.
Others were simply shocked by the news.
Riley and Musk had a tumultuous past, with two marriages and divorces.
Their first marriage took place in 2010, only to end in separation two years later. In an attempt to reconcile, they remarried in 2013 and even raised Musk's five children from his previous marriage together.
However, the relationship faced further turmoil, resulting in a second divorce filing by Riley in 2016.
The connection between Riley and Musk goes beyond their personal history.
Leaked text messages in October 2022 revealed Riley urged Musk to consider purchasing Twitter to combat what she referred to as "woke-ism." These messages provided insight into Riley's potential influence on Musk's decision-making.
@tulipanet/Bluesky
@which–witch–ru/Bluesky
@phillip–rees/Bluesky
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social