Pride & Prejudice fans shocked to discover leading cast members had split before filming | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

Fans of the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice have been stunned to learn that two of its leading actors ended their romantic relationship not long before filming began. Not only that, but the two had to play onscreen lovers, and one of them had just started dating the director.

Directed by Joe Wright, it stars Keira Knightley as the lead character Elizabeth Bennet, while Matthew Macfadyen plays Mr Darcy, who falls in love with her. Screenwriter Deborah Moggach said she initially wanted to make her script as faithful to the book as possible, but Wright wanted something different, and they ended up changing the dynamics within the Bennet family and setting the film in an earlier period.

In addition to Knightley and Macfadyen, the all-star cast included Rosamund Pike as Jane Bennet and Simon Woods as Charles Bingley. While these two played onscreen love interests who fall in love and eventually marry, behind the scenes, the two actors had broken up just a few years before after a lengthy relationship.

According to sources, Rosamund, 46, and Simon, 45, dated for two years while they were at Oxford University together. The couple split in 2003. Director Joe Wright told The Guardian in 2005: “I tried very hard not to cast Simon, but I knew he was perfect. Finally, I rang Ros and asked if she’d mind, and she said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They hadn’t seen each other for two years, but the next day they were dancing together. It was lovely.”

This small relationship fact was recently shared on Instagram and fans were left stunned by the revelation. One user replied: “I would have such conflicting feelings. Sparks re-ignited!” Another person added: “That explains their amazing chemistry!” Someone else penned: “This is insaneeee! What? I never knew that.” And a fourth user wrote: “Well this is NEWS to ME!”

The film featured a who’s who of British acting talent, including Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennet, Tom Hollander, Penelope Wilton, Carey Mulligan, Rupert Friend, Judi Dench, Talulah Riley, and Kelly Reilly. The late Canadian acting icon Donald Sutherland also starred as Mr Bennet.

In another twist, Rosamund and Joe began seeing each other “tentatively” during the shoot, but things didn’t get serious until the film wrapped. The couple eventually got engaged but split in 2008. Although she avoided discussing the breakup in interviews, she told The Guardian via email that she had “no idea why Joe called off the wedding. He was never clear about it. Part of what makes it so confusing.”

She later clarified: “Our Save the Date cards had been sent out; Save the Date cards which had a 1950s-style picture of the two of us in LA, taken by a friend at Christmas, done like an old-fashioned postcard with slightly unreal colors — we’d both designed it and the design was to make people laugh! Which it did! — but no invitations. My mother had to write to everyone to say that the wedding was no longer going to take place.”

Meanwhile, Rosamund’s ex-boyfriend Simon came out in 2009 and got married in a civil ceremony to fashion designer Christopher Bailey in 2012. The couple have two daughters, Nell and Iris.

A new six-part limited series based on Jane Austen’s classic novel has been commissioned by Netflix. The script is being written by The Sunday Times columnist and Everything I Know About Love author Dolly Alderton, and will star The Crown’s Emma Corrin and Slow Horse’s Jack Lowden.