Thomas Brodie-Sangster, known for his role in Love Actually, married actress Talulah Riley on June 22. This is the first marriage for Thomas and the third one for Talulah.
The couple, who had been dating for two years before announcing their engagement in July 2023, looked very much in love as they emerged from St George’s Church in Anstey, Hertfordshire. This isn’t Talulah Riley’s first marriage; she previously wed Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk twice. They first married in 2010, divorced in 2012, remarried in 2013, and then divorced again.
According to tabloids, the couple’s wedding included some fun surprises. Riley arrived at the church in a horse-drawn carriage, and another horse, adorned with white roses in its mane, arrived soon after. An onlooker mentioned that the horse acted as a bridesmaid, a surprise arranged by Brodie-Sangster. Riley looked delighted when she saw it.
Though Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Talulah Riley have kept their relationship relatively private, Riley opened up about falling in love with Brodie-Sangster in a May 2022 interview. She described how their bond grew while filming Pistol and eventually turned romantic. Riley shared that they hadn’t considered each other as a romantic possibility until the same moment several months into their friendship, leading to the start of their romantic relationship. Riley is known for her roles in Westworld, Pride & Prejudice, and Inception.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster played 13-year-old Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones when he was 23. When he was 13 in real life, he portrayed Sam in Love Actually.
The Gift of Fido
The silence in my small house had grown louder with each passing year. Old and alone, the days stretched out, often indistinguishable from one another. I thought about getting a dog, a creature that would fill the emptiness, a warm presence against the encroaching quiet.
One chilly afternoon, shuffling through the familiar streets, I saw him. A small, scruffy shape huddled near a bin, dirty and clearly hungry. He looked up as I approached, his eyes wide but without fear. I knelt down slowly, offering a tentative hand. He didn’t flinch. I stroked his matted fur, spoke softly to him. When I stood up to leave, he simply followed, a silent, trusting shadow.
Now, he is my dog. My Fido. I am his human, his owner, though it feels more like we own each other. The silence is gone, replaced by the soft pad of his paws, the occasional sigh, the happy thump of his tail against the floor.
I talk to him constantly, sharing my thoughts, my worries, the mundane details of my day. He answers in his own way – a tilt of the head, a soft whine, or his favorite response, a vigorous wash of my hand with his rough tongue.
“Fido,” I’d told him just the other day, the worry etching lines deeper into my face, “tomorrow we won’t have anything to eat. The retirement money is gone, finished. We’ll have to wait until pension day!” He just licked my hand, as if to say, “We’ll figure it out, together.”
And then that blessed day arrives. I join the queue, a line of fellow retirees, each clutching their worn pension book, shattered by time and use. My own is tight in my hands, a thin lifeline. Fido, tied patiently nearby, shakes himself happily, a little dance of anticipation. He knows this day. He knows that today the bowls will be fuller, the meal a little richer, a little better than the thin gruel of the days before.
Winter arrives, wrapping the house in its cold embrace. Without a fire, the air bites. But Fido is there. Curled tightly against my legs on the worn armchair, or tucked beside me in bed, his small body is a furnace, a constant, reliable source of warmth that chases away the chill. He is more than just a dog; he is my living, breathing blanket against the cold world.
The first hesitant rays of spring find us sitting outside, bathed in the gentle warmth of the returning sun. We sit in comfortable silence, simply existing, together, grateful for the light, for the warmth, for each other. And from deep within my heart, a simple prayer is born, a quiet whisper of profound gratitude: “Thank you, Lord, for creating the dog.” For creating Fido, who found me when I was alone, and filled my life with warmth, conversation, and unwavering companionship.
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