The Crown's Lesley Manville's A-list ex-husband will surprise you
Lesley Manville has effortlessly stepped into Princess Margaret's shoes for Season 5 of The Crown, alongside Imelda Staunton who plays her older sister, Queen Elizabeth II. The actress has been in the industry for years- but did you know she was once married to a Hollywood A-lister?
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Lesley Manville's ex-husband is no other than Gary Oldman - star of the silver screen with film titles under his belt including Darkest Hour, Harry Potter and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The pair wed in 1987 and share a son Alfie, 33.
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Lesley and Gary split approximately three months after their son was born. Gary went on to remarry four more times, including a betrothal to actress Uma Thurman in 1990. The pair later parted in 1992.
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Lesley, 66, also remarried. The actress wed husband Joe Dixon an actor best known for his role of Jacques Clemons in The Mummy Returns.
Lesley Manville stars in the latest series of The Crown
In this season of the hit Netflix show, Lesley, who has previously starred in Phantom Thread and Maleficent, has taken over from Helena Bonham Carter to play the Queen's sister in the fifth series of the show. She said: "I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don't want to let the side down."
The actress plays Princess Margaret on the show
The Crown made its hotly-anticipated debut on Netflix on Wednesday and viewers have wasted no time getting stuck into the ten new episodes.
The star was previously married to Gary Oldman
The new series is set in the 1990s and examines this turbulent period for the royal family, covering significant events such as the fire at Windsor Castle and Prince Charles and Diana's acrimonious separation.
MORE: The Crown: how did Princess Diana meet boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed?
Although there has been much debate surrounding the show – most notably the importance of noting the fictional elements of the period drama – the story is still about a royal family who we all know – and a period of time that most of us remember.
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