Kate Winslet reveals the moment she knew husband Edward was ‘the one’ after he saved her from a house fire on Richard Branson’s Necker Island days after their first meeting
She is known for being very secretive about her relationship, but Kate Winslet has given a rare insight into her beloved man’s situation.
The 47-year-old Oscar winner married Edward Abel Smith, Richard Branson’s cousin, twelve years ago.
The two had met just a few days earlier in 2011, when Kate and her children – Mia, now 23 – were staying on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands when a storm hit.
The house they were staying in caught fire when lightning struck. They all managed to escape, but it was ‘Ned’ Rocknroll who helped them escape. The British star realised he was ‘the one’.
Kate said The Telegraph: ‘It was very clear to me that this was the person I had to follow through life. And I still have that feeling now.’
Kate Winslet has given a rare insight into her beloved husband Edward Abel Smith
The 47-year-old Oscar-winning actress married Richard Branson’s cousin, Edward Abel Smith, 12 years ago
Kate and her children were rescued by Edward after lightning caused a fire in the house they were staying in on his uncle Richard Brandson’s Necker Island
The couple, who have a 10-year-old son, Bear, even named his middle name Blaze, in reference to that evening.
Kate had daughter Mia with her first husband Jim Threapleton and Joe, 20, with director Sam Mendes.
She added: ‘[Ned] takes care of everybody. He’s amazing. We literally live together, honestly. He’s always jumped from project to project, and when I met him he was setting up a music festival.’
Kate also confessed that she didn’t know Ned’s last name was Rocknroll (he has since changed it back to Abel Smith).
She said: ‘When someone told me, I thought, that’s brilliant, because the funny thing is, he’s not rock ‘n’ roll at all. He’s Mr Vegan Yoga. He’s just life and soul. Ned and I, we’re real optimists. When you live with someone who wakes up, opens the curtains and says, “Hello, world!” you just think, yeah, I’m going to sign up for life.’
Kate is currently busy promoting her latest film, Lee.
In this highly anticipated biopic, Kate plays the role of remarkable model and former World War II photographer Lee Miller, a role that showcases the exceptional talent and versatility of the English actress.
The biopic delves into the extraordinary life of Lee Miller, a groundbreaking figure who made the transition from glamorous model to intrepid photographer during World War II.
Lee’s story is one of courage, resilience and transformation, themes that are still relevant today.
Edward helped rescue Kate and her daughter Mia, now 23, and son Joe, 20, from the fire (Kate pictured with Mia in May)
The family escaped with only their passports, helped by Ned. In tribute to how they met, their son’s middle name is Bear Blaze (pictured in 2014).
The actress plays model-turned-WWII photographer Lee Miller in a new biopic based on Antony Penrose’s 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller
Kate’s portrayal of Lee Miller is expected to be a powerful and moving performance, capturing the essence of a woman who defied convention and made her mark on history.
The news follows reports that the star went to great lengths to ensure she could finish her new film Lee, including paying the crew’s salaries herself.
Kate and producer Kate Solomon spoke candidly about the film with Fashion (the medium the real Miller photographed for during the war), where it was revealed that Winslet – who appeared on the red carpet for Vogue World last week – not only paid the crew’s salaries, but continued to fight despite injuries.
The first day on set, Kate rehearsed a sequence in which Lee running through the streets of the French city of Saint-Malo as it was being bombed in 1944, when she slipped and injured her back.
“I had three huge hematomas on my spine, massive. I could barely stand up,” Kate revealed, as the actress somehow managed to stick to the gruelling schedule while working through the pain.
As for the actress paying the crew’s salaries, it was revealed that the film’s financing was “precarious” and that at one point during pre-production she “paid two weeks’ wages herself just to keep things going.”