James Norton shares heartbreaking reason for split from ex-fiancée Imogen Poots

James Norton and Imogen Poots shocked their fans earlier this year when it was revealed their relationship had collapsed, their engagement was over - and they'd managed to keep it hidden for months

James Norton has opened up about his shock split from fiancée Imogen Poots - stating it wasn't his decision.

The 39-year-old Happy Valley star was in a six-year romance with 36-year-old Imogen - with their engagement beginning in 2022 - but the relationship collapsed a year ago. While the pair split before Christmas in 2023, the end of their time together was not made public until February this year.

The former couple are believed to have fallen for each other after working together on the West End play Belleville which was produced at the Donmar Warehouse in London in 2017. It had been reported earlier this year that the duo split after "growing apart" - but now James has addressed the way work can "compromise" a relationship.

The star, who most recently appeared on the big screen in the music biopic Bob Marley: One Love and on TV in tense drama The Nevers, also hinted that he was not the one to pull the plug on his relationship. He also shared some views about his hopes to start a family in the future.

Addressing the difficulties of dating while a busy actor, James told The Sunday Times: "If the work starts to compromise one's relationships, it can become unhealthy. Suddenly you realise you haven’t left any space for other people and so I was p***ed off with that... Some of the choices recently weren't mine, yet I don’t feel begrudging."

He added: "I just mean that you have a certain amount of control over your life and choices you make, and at other times you don't." Going on to confess he is glad to have waited to start a family as his busy acting career could have kept him away from a baby, he said: "Getting older is a struggle if you are freaking out about the choices you’ve made, but I don’t carry regret. And, you know, some of the choices recently weren’t mine, yet I don’t feel begrudging. Maybe next year I’ll have a family and a relationship."

In February this year, the Daily Mail broke the news of James and Imogen's split, reporting: "the couple, who shared a home in East London, parted ways before Christmas after 'growing apart'." Imogen had previously discussed her ability to keep a relationship together even if she was splitting her time between the UK and USA.

She told the Evening Standard four years ago: "I have never known anything to fall apart due to distance... It’s all I’ve ever known. I find work to be my happy place, in a way. Because it’s all I’ve ever known: packing up a bag and moving on." It was reported that Imogen had wanted to keep their split private, while further reports claimed James had been spotted using the celebrity dating app Raya after their break up.

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