Jessie Buckley Opens Up on Love, Marriage, and Motherhood
Award-winning actress Jessie Buckley, currently basking in the glow of her first Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Hamnet, has shared candid insights into her personal life, particularly her past apprehension towards love and her journey to finding lasting happiness with her husband, Freddie Sorensen. The 36-year-old star, who exchanged vows with Sorensen in 2023 at their Norfolk home, admitted that for a significant portion of her life, she harboured a deep-seated fear of intimacy.
“I think love is terrifying,” Buckley confessed in a recent interview. “I have been scared of love for a lot of my life, and it took me a long while to discover what that word even meant for me, not just the idea of it.” She elaborated on the concept, suggesting that the romanticised notion of “love at first sight” can often be an overly projected ideal. “You can’t just make a meal. You have to cook it,” she explained, likening the process of building a relationship to the patient and deliberate act of preparing a dish.
Despite her initial reservations, Buckley does believe in the spark of immediate connection. When questioned about love at first sight, she responded, “Yeah, I do. I think it’s not what I ever expect it to be. The real stuff is not ever what I expect it to be.” She went on to describe how initial magnetism can evolve into something far more profound and intricate. “So even that magnetism might transcend or transform into a very different, layered, complex, full thing. And I guess that depends on where you are in your life and how open you are to that.”
While the Chernobyl star typically maintains a private personal life, she offered a charming glimpse into her wedding day during an appearance on the Table Manners podcast in 2024. The celebration, held at their Norfolk residence, was a relaxed and joyful affair, complete with a keg of Guinness and their signature cheese toasties. Instead of a traditional honeymoon, the couple opted for “many moons” of post-wedding celebrations, embracing their life in East Anglia.
Buckley’s affection for her husband was palpable as she described him as “gorgeous!” She revealed that their early dating days were marked by frequent visits to the Towpath cafe in Dalston, London, a venue that later catered their wedding. “When we first started dating we – because we lived in Dalston [in London] – we would go to the Towpath [cafe] all the time … so they came and did the food for us [at the wedding],” she shared. A particularly cherished memory from the day was the presence of the Guinness keg and the anticipation of the late-night cheese toasties.
Life as a new mother has also brought immense joy and transformation for Buckley. Discussing her experience on the New York Times’ Modern Love podcast in December, she spoke of the profound changes that come with welcoming a child. “Everyone’s doing great … Everything’s different … Everything’s new,” she stated.
“This little human’s new. You’re new. Your relationship’s new. Your whole relationship to the world is new. It’s intense, but it’s just – I just love it. I love it so much … I really can see her little personality start to come through. I see this life force in her and determination. And I hope she loves life as much as I do.”
The couple’s journey began with a blind date, orchestrated by mutual friend Marc Robinson, who also worked with Buckley on her breakout 2018 film Wild Rose. Buckley and Sorensen, who works in the mental health sector and previously had a career in production, including a stint with Simon Cowell on The X Factor, divide their time between East London and their Norfolk home. While they initially considered settling in Suffolk, where they met, Norfolk ultimately captured their hearts.
The birth of their daughter last year marked a significant milestone for the couple. Buckley’s marriage to Sorensen follows her seven-year relationship with actor James Norton, which she has described as an “acrimonious” split. Speaking about their parting in 2017, she acknowledged the challenges of maintaining a relationship within the demanding acting profession, stating, “We have broken up, yes. It was acrimonious, but it’s a tough job to have a relationship and he is a great man and we are great friends.”
