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James McAvoy confirms he’s married US girlfriend after split from famous ex-wife

James was married to Shameless co-star Anne-Marie Duff

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James McAvoy has casually confirmed that he has married his longterm American girlfriend after his split from first wife Anne-Marie Duff.

The actor comes from humble beginnings, but has achieved great success in Hollywood and beyond.

During a chat with The Guardian he said that Philadelphia – where partner Lisa Liberati hails from – has become his second home as he confirmed their union.

Here’s everything else you need to know about the popular Glaswegian actor.

James McAvoy wife
James McAvoy stars in Together on BBC Two opposite Sharon Horgan (Credit: BBC Two)

Read more: When is Together on BBC Two? James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan star as He and She

What is James McAvoy famous for?

James McAvoy was been on our screens ever since 1995 when he was just 15.

Viewers probably first noticed him in the TV adaptation of White Teeth as Josh Malfen, thriller State of Play as Dan Foster and Liam in Early Doors.

But it was his role of Steve in the original UK version of Shameless that catapulted him to global fame.

Although he only played the role from 2004 to 2005, the show’s cult status helped him grab the attention of Hollywood.

He’s since starred in multiple big budget films, not least the X-Men franchise, where he portrayed Professor Charles Xavier.

What else has he starred in?

After his iconic role as Steve in C4’s Shameless – where he met his wife-to-be Anne-Marie Duff – James moved into films.

He portrayed Brian Jackson in Starter for 10 in 2006, Robbie Turner in the acclaimed Atonement in 2007 and Wesley in 2008’s Wanted opposite Angelina Jolie.

In 2011, he played Professor Charles Xavier for the first of many times in X-Men: First Class.

He’s also starred in The Last King of Scotland, Trance, Split, Filth, Victor Frankenstein, Glass and It: Chapter Two.

Other notable roles include the faun Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005.

So basically, he’s proved he can do horror, comedy and drama, as well as voicing cute animations including Gnomeo and Juliet and Hazel in Watership Down.

Since 2019, he has played Lord Asriel Belacqua in the BBC/HBO fantasy series His Dark Materials.

He currently portrays He in the lockdown film Together.

james mcavoy wife
James surprised everyone – including himself – when he won Celebrity Bake Off in 2021 (Credit: Channel 4)

Read more: Why did Anne-Marie Duff and James McAvoy split and who is the Shameless star dating now?

How old is he and where is he from?

James McAvoy was born on April 21 1979 in Glasgow, Scotland.

He is currently 42.

His dad, also called James, was a bus-driver-turned-builder, and his mum was a psychiatric nurse called Elizabeth.

His parents separated when he was seven and divorced when he was 11.

Mum Elizabeth suffered from poor health and subsequently sent him to live with his maternal grandparents, Mary and James Johnstone, in the nearby Drumchapel area of Glasgow.

The Scottish actor has a younger sister named Joy and a younger half-brother named Donald, but reportedly has no relationship with his father.

James McAvoy wife: Who was he married to?

James was previously wed to actress Anne-Marie Duff, who played his character’s love interest in Shameless.

They married in November 2006 and have a son named Brendan who was born in 2010.

In May 2016, after 10 years of marriage, the couple jointly announced their decision to divorce.

At the time, they released a statement, which read: “It is with tremendous sadness that we have come to the decision to divorce.

“We enter this next phase with continued friendship, love and respect for one another and the shared focus of caring for our son.”

It continued: “We ask that you respect our and, most importantly, our child’s privacy during this time.”

To ease the transition for their son, they initially shared their £1.9million four-bedroom house together in North London.

The divorced couple both starred in the first series of BBC One’s adaptation of His Dark Materials, but didn’t share any scenes.

James McAvoy wife
James McAvoy and his former wife Anne-Marie Duff in happier times (Credit: Splash)

Why did James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff split up?

Anne-Marie discussed their break-up during an interview with the Times in 2018.

She said: “Divorce is a profound, difficult experience. It just is.

“It’s a bit like you go to bed and you wake up holding hands in a hurricane. And nobody gave you any storm warnings.

“And if you are recognisable, you can’t leave the hurricane at home, because you walk down the street and everyone knows you are holding hands with the hurricane.

“They mean well and they are well-wishers, but they are strangers so you have to deal with that for a while and be as big a version of yourself as you can be.”

James McAvoy wife: Is he married, single or other?

James McAvoy is married to American Lisa Liberati.

They live between his London flat, and her home in Philadelphia.

They spent the first part of the coronavirus pandemic in his small flat, until he bought somewhere bigger.

He said in a TV interview in 2021: “We are in London and it’s all good.

“We’ve just moved into a nice, slightly bigger house but we were in a tiny flat before.”

The couple have been in a relationship since 2017.

She was working as a production assistant on the set of Split.

She was the PA to director M. Night Shyamalan.

Lisa and James became Instagram official in Halloween 2017.

After rumours they got hitched in secret in 2019, he finally confirmed the union in an 2022 interview.

James was reflecting on his identity with the Guardian newspaper.

The publication noted of him and Lisa: “They began a relationship a couple of years later and, he confirms, recently got married.”

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Together airs on Thursday June 17 2021 at 9pm on BBC Two and will be available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.

What’s your favourite James McAvoy performance? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.


Helen Fear
TV Editor

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