Michelle’s wedded bliss
Ten years after losing Heath, she’s finally happy again
Michelle Williams is good at keeping secrets, which is why the gorgeous mum-of-one took the world by surprise when she announced she’d married a man no-one even knew she was dating.
The actress with the trademark platinum pixie ’do was left heartbroken 10 years ago when the love of her life, ex-partner Heath Ledger, 28, died of a drug overdose, leaving her to raise their then two-year-old daughter Matilda by herself.
She fled to a house in rural upstate New York and that’s where mother and daughter stayed for six
years until 2012, when they quietly moved back to the city.
In the decade since her world blew apart, Michelle has built a stellar movie career, including inclu scooping a Golden Globe for her role in MyWeek withMarilyn. with But despite being linked to a handful of admirers, admir a second chance at love eluded e her.
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Until last year, that is, when she was w introduced to indie rock musician m Phil Elverum. In July, July the couple exchanged vows in a secret ceremony witnessed witne by a handful of friends friend and family.
“I never n gave up on love,” says Michelle, M 37. “Ultimately, the w way Phil loves me is the way I want to live my life ... I am finally fin loved by someone who makes m me feel free.”
A source s close to the Blue Valentine Valen actress says the
pair met through a mutual friend who thought they’d make a great match.
“And boy, she was spot-on,” says the source. “They have the same sensibilities and taste – she’s very low-key and bohemian, and Phil’s the same. They love the same films and art, and music.”
Phil, who is dad to a three-year-old daughter, Agathe, lost his first wife, illustrator and musician Geneviève Castrée, to pancreatic cancer in 2016.
Explains another insider, “They both know what it’s like to lose someone and raise a child single-handedly while you’re grieving and want to give up on life. Since Michelle met Phil, she’s started smiling and laughing a lot more. No-one has ever seen her happier.”
Just before they tied the knot, 40-year-old Phil and his toddler moved from their home in Washington State into Michelle and Matilda’s Brooklyn abode.
Matilda turns 13 in October and those close to Michelle say the former Dawson’sCreek star still feels the anguish of seeing her daughter grow up without her father.
“Matilda has her mum’s and dad’s best qualities,” tells a friend. “But you can really see Heath in her eyes.
“Michelle still gets the chills when Matilda does something that reminds her of Heath. She’s very smart and introspective, just like her dad.”
Adds the friend, “Matilda adores Phil and Agathe is really enjoying having a big sister. Michelle and Phil appreciate what they have. Every day counts because they know it can be taken away just like that.”
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Intensely private Michelle says she thought twice before updating her relationship status to the world. “But what if this helps somebody?” she asks. “What if somebody who has journeyed in this way, who has struggled as much as I struggled and looked as much as I looked, finds something that helps them?”
What she’s learned from her 10 years as a singleton is simple. “Don’t settle. Don’t settle for something that feels like a prison or is hard or hurts you. If it doesn’t feel like love, it’s not love.”