Finally, Hugh Grant is set to be the star of his own wedding
The established bachelor is about to marry Swede Anna Eberstein, mother of three of his five children
AT THE ripe old age of 57 and with a chequered love life in his wake, seemingly eternal bachelor Hugh Grant is finally set to marry for the first time later this month. His bride-to-be is UK-based Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein, 39, mother of three of his five young children and his on-off-on girlfriend for the past seven years. News of their engagement emerged after wedding banns were posted on screens at the Kensington and Chelsea register office near the couple’s £10million London home
The pair met in 2011. Anna, like Hugh an Oxford graduate, is a keen tennis player and was a member at Kensington’s Queen’s Club where the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister Pippa plays. Her father is a judge and her mother was vice-speaker of the Swedish parliament.
The veteran actor has had a string of romances over the decades. Most famously he dated actress Liz Hurley for 13 years from 1987 to 2000, during which time he rose to stardom in Four Weddings And A Funeral in 1994.
Incredibly their relationship survived his infamous arrest in Los Angeles in 1995 when police caught him with prostitute Estella Marie Thompson (also known as Divine Brown). He has said of the incident: “You know in life what’s a good thing to do and a bad thing to do. I did a bad thing. I was just an idiot.”
Although his romance with Liz eventually ended, they remain great friends. He is godfather to her son Damian, by American businessman Steve Bing, and has said of their enduring friendship: “We’re like brother and sister. I think it’s partly because we went from zero to somewhere together and we went through terrible years at the beginning when neither of us had any work, living in a tiny flat. It was bonding.”
Two months ago Hurley spoke equally affectionately: “I’m very lucky that 31 years into our friendship, he’s still my best friend. I see him a lot, I speak to him a lot. He’s a great dad.”
After their split Grant was linked with several leading ladies, including Sandra Bullock after they starred in Two Weeks Notice in 2001, Love Actually co-star Martine McCutcheon in 2003, and Drew Barrymore from the 2007 movie Music And Lyrics. He also dated socialite Jemima Goldsmith, ex-wife of Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan, from 2004 to 2007.
But it’s since turning 50 in 2010 that Grant’s private life has become somewhat complicated. The actor, who is estimated to be worth £40million, has had five children in the past seven years, two of them with Chinese receptionist Tinglan Hong. She lives in a townhouse in Fulham said to have been bought for her by Grant. After a brief fling she gave birth to Grant’s first child, daughter Tabitha, in September 2011. Grant’s spokesman said at the time: “He and the mother had a fleeting affair and while this was not planned, Hugh could not be happier.” Four months after Tabitha’s birth Grant was expecting another baby, this time with his now bride-to-be Anna. Three months later, it emerged that Miss Hong was pregnant by the actor again – meaning that for a few months in 2012, the two women’s pregnancies overlapped. Still with me? Miss Eberstein had a son, John, in September 2012, and that December Miss Hong also had a son, Felix, after which Grant wrote on Twitter: “Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother. Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum.”
In December 2015 Grant had his fourth child in four years, a daughter with Miss Eberstein. The couple had their third baby – his fifth – earlier this year, news Liz Hurley let slip during an interview. She said: “He had another one last week. He has five. He was more than 50 when he spawned them all.”
When asked if she was shocked by it, she responded: “No, he’s an enchanting dad. Really, really sweet,” before jokingly adding, “Having these kids has transformed him from a very miserable person into a fairly miserable person. It’s improved him.”
THOUGH fiercely protective of his private life, in April 2012 Grant spoke openly about fatherhood on an American chat show, revealing: “Everyone was right all these years, saying, ‘Hugh, why don’t you have some children? It changes your life.’ Now that I have a child, it is life-changing and I recommend it. Get some.”
More recently he commented: “It’s just lovely to have all that love around. Suddenly you love someone more than yourself. It’s unheard of in my case and they love you and it’s all enchanting.”
Perhaps the fact that he’s finally settling down in his private life is a factor in his career being on the upturn again too.
After getting rave reviews in last year’s hit Paddington 2 movie he is now playing disgraced politician Jeremy Thorpe in the acclaimed new BBC One drama A Very English Scandal, which debuted last night.
For now,though, it appears that his real-life partner is Anna Eberstein when they tie the knot later this month. A case of love, actually, at last for Hugh Grant?