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Rose Leslie in profile: From meeting husband on Game of Thrones to working on BBC One’s Vigil

Actress returns - very pregnant! - in Vigil series 2

Rose Leslie returns in series 2 of BBC One thriller Vigil this weekend and, this time, her character is pregnant with Amy’s baby.

But it’s not just her character who was pregnant… Rose was expecting her second child on set. In fact, her real life pregnancy was written into the scripts.

So how did she become famous, which famous actor is she married to, and is she really part of a royal family? Here’s everything you need to know.

Rose Leslie in Vigil on BBC One
Rose Leslie as DI Kirsten Longacre in Vigil series 1 (Credit: BBC)

How did Rose Leslie become famous? What has she been in?

Rose began her career as at 21-year-old in the film New Toon, which she won a Scottish BAFTA award for Best Acting – New Talent.

Only two years later, she was cast in Sky Atlantic/HBO fantasy drama Game of Thrones, which propelled her to international stardom. In the series, she played wildling Ygritte – a fierce and passionate wild woman who falls for the heir to the throne, Jon Snow. In real life, the actors fell in love, too, and are now married. Rose’s real life pregnancy was written into the script of Vigil series 2.

Thanks to Game of Thrones, Rose’s career prospered… BBC One’s The Great Fire followed, as did Luther, and US series, The Good Fight. She was then cast in the US TV series, The Time Traveller’s Wife. She played Clare, a woman married to time-hopper Henry (Theo James).

Rose went on to play Louise Bourget in Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie adaptation, Death On The Nile. Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Gal Gadot also starred. Downton Abbey fans might also recognises her as Gwen Dawson!

Vigil star Rose Leslie pictured with husband and former Game Of Thrones co-star Kit Harington
Rose and Kit have been married since 2018 (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Are Rose Leslie and Kit Harington still married?

Rose met fellow actor Kit on the set of Game of Thrones in 2012. Their characters – Ygritte and Jon Snow – fell in love and soon life imitated art.

In 2012, rumours circulated that they had grown close off-screen and were spotted on dinner dates together. Despite denying they were an item, four years later they confirmed that they were together after making a public appearance at a red carpet event.

Rose and Kit, both now 36, married in 2018 at her family’s Wardhill Castle in Scotland. Her family currently lives at the 12th-century castle in Old Rayne.

As for Rose and Kit, the couple now live in a grade II-listed Tudor manor house in Suffolk.

Of course, as well as paying Jon Snow in the huge HBO drama GOT, Kit is also known for playing Dane Whitman in the film Eternals, and Milo in Pompeii. He’ll soon appear as Abercrombie Smith in the Christmas TV show Lot No. 249.

Do Rose Leslie and Kit Harington have children?

Rose was expecting her second child while filming. She now has two children. In September 2020, Rose Leslie posed for a photo shoot for Make Magazine, a British fashion publication, visibly pregnant.

Her son was born in January 2021. In February 2023, she announced she was expecting their second child. In July 2023, Rose confirmed the birth of their daughter.

Rose and husband Kit Harington have not publicly disclosed the names of their babies. They are notoriously private, and don’t even have social media profiles. So zero opportunities for stalking, we’re afraid!

Vigil star Rose Leslie as Ygritte in Game Of Thrones
Rose as Ygritte in Game Of Thrones (Credit: YouTube)

Is Rose related to the royal family?

Rose was born in Aberdeen and grew up living in nearby Lickleyhead Castle, her family’s ancestral seat. As for her family, he’s Sebastian Arbuthnot-Leslie, the Aberdeenshire Chieftain of Clan Leslie.

Her mother Candida is from the Clan Fraser of Lovat, whose maternal great-grandfather was Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat, and a descendant of King Charles II.

So not quite royal, but definitely of blue blood.

Vigil star Rose Leslie
Rose came to fame playing spiky character Ygritte in Game of Thrones (Credit: SplashNews.com)

How old is Rose Leslie and where is she from?

Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie was born on February 09, 1987 in Aberdeen, Scotland.

That makes the Scottish actress currently 36 years old.

Does Rose speak fluent French?

Actress Rose is a fluent French speaker, thanks to living on France foe several years as a child.

Although first educated at Rayne North School in Aberdeenshire, Rose went to Ermitage International School in Maisons-Laffitte, France, when she was 10.

Naturally, Rose became fluent in French while living with her family in France during her pre-adolescent years. Her family lived there for three years. On her return, Rose was sent to Millfield, a boarding school in Street, Somerset.

Read more: Vigil actress Rose Leslie was pregnant with second child during filming of series 2

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Rose Leslie returns in Vigil series 2, which starts on Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 9pm on BBC One.

What do you think of Rose Leslie in Vigil? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor