A Look At Emma Watson's Dating History
Since leaving Hermione's wizarding wand behind, Emma Watson has proven herself a force to reckon with. The "Harry Potter" star has cultivated a career as both an indie movie star, thanks to fare such as "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Little Women," and as a notable philanthropist via her HeForShe campaign and climate activism. Despite her incredibly high profile, Watson remains tight-lipped when it comes to her love life, fueling much speculation in the process.
For many years, fans shipped Watson and her "Harry Potter" co-star Tom Felton. After considerable gossip swirling across the Twitterverse, Watson finally confirmed in 2022 that she had indeed once been crushing on Felton — though they never dated. "I just don't know how to say it, I just fell in love with him," she revealed in "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts" (via Teen Vogue). "I used to come in every day and look for his number on the call sheet ... If his number was on the call sheet, it was an extra exciting day." In addition to speculation regarding her relationship with Felton, the actor is rumored to have dated a pre-Meghan Prince Harry in 2015. Now that's one regal celeb power couple we could have stanned! Sadly, Watson denied such claims, cheekily tweeting, "Marrying a Prince [is] not a prerequisite for being a Princess."
Aside from Draco Malfoy and Haz, Watson has been linked to a number of high-profile men throughout the years. From romancing reality stars to frolicking with financiers, let's take a look at Emma Watson's dating history.
Tom Ducker was Emma Watson's first boyfriend
In 2006, Emma Watson began dating Welsh rugby player Tom Ducker, who is believed to be her first boyfriend. At the time, Watson was 17, while her beau was 16. In 2007, staff at a fancy Nice restaurant, where the couple dined, told the Evening Standard that the twosome appeared totally loved up. "They said they were having a wonderful holiday and did not leave until well after 2am," dished restaurant owner Ali Abdelhafidh. "It was great to see a young couple so much in love but Emma had time for everyone else, too." Meanwhile, a fellow diner revealed that the couple sipped on champagne and appeared to be relishing each other's company. Nevertheless, Ducker's father insisted that the pair were nothing more than friends.
But soon after, Watson's reps confirmed that the pair were indeed an item and had split up. "They just drifted apart as teenagers do," a source told The Sun (via Oh No They Didn't). That year, The Telegraph asked Watson about her love life. But the "Harry Potter" star declined to address the status of her relationship with Ducker, conceding that she felt uncomfortable with the press intruding into her private life. "The thought of all this publicity chills me to the bone," she admitted. "I hate seeing my name on the front of a magazine. I'll walk past a Tube station and see something about me, and I try not to read it but it's hard. Who doesn't want to read about themselves?"
Francis Boulle had some harsh words for his ex
A year after her split from Tom Ducker, Emma Watson reportedly moved on to Australian student Angus Willoughby, whom she met at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2008. In an interview with the Mirror, she addressed the rumors concerning her love life. "Relationships are complicated enough without reading that you're breaking up or getting back together or cheating on one another every five minutes," she quipped. "Guys are either intimidated by me or they make fun of me."
That same year, she was also rumored to be dating Francis Boulle, who would later go on to find fame with the British reality series "Made in Chelsea." The two were first spotted together at a society event, in which Watson was also seen chatting to Roberto Agnillera — however, it was Boulle who ended up trading mobile numbers with the star. "She was very sweet and we had a lot in common," he told the Daily Mail.
He may have deemed Watson a sweetheart at the time, but Boulle later offered some harsh words about his apparent former flame. In an interview with Heat Magazine (via the Daily Mail), he claimed that he dumped his A-list ex. "We had a bit of a thing a while back, but I have always been an ambitious person and I want to achieve my own notoriety for what I've done," he said. "That's why I chose not to pursue it any longer because I didn't want to be the boyfriend of some child actress." Ouch.
The Harry Potter star dated a Prince William doppelganger
Emma Watson may have been linked to Prince Harry, but it was a Prince William doppelganger who stole her heart. By the fall of 2008, she was spotted getting cozy with financier Jay Barrymore, who bears a striking resemblance to the Prince of Wales. At the time, Watson had just turned 18, while her beau was considerably older at 25. The couple was spotted on a number of dates, including a trip to the grocery store in London, where Barrymore snagged a copy of a Jamie Oliver cookbook.
After two years together, the posh pair called it quits. According to sources, problems had been brewing for quite some time, with Watson reportedly moving on to Spanish musician Rafael Cebrian, whom she met while studying at Brown University. "Emma and Jay were in trouble for months and with Emma at Brown University in America, the transatlantic gap proved too much for their relationship to survive," an insider dished to the Daily Mail. "Emma has been spending a lot of time with Rafael and they are virtually inseparable." Watson and Cebrian reportedly became romantically involved after working together in a student theater group.
Soon enough, the rumored paramours were photographed looking loved-up at an ice hockey match. The alleged romance supposedly confirmed Barrymore's worst fears, as he was worried Watson would meet a new man while studying in the States. However, she denied that the duo were dating, insisting to the News of the World (via DNA) that they were merely good friends.
She then set her sights on George Craig
Though she dodged rumors that she was dating Spanish rocker Rafael Cebrian, Emma Watson couldn't deny reports that she had set her sights on One Night Only frontman and Burberry model George Craig in 2010. She met the rocker-slash-model after returning to the U.K. following her split from Jay Barrymore and the pair enjoyed a date night seeing "War Horse" at London's West End. An apparently smitten Craig seemingly confirmed the romance on Twitter by declaring, "Heading to London this afternoon, going to the theater tonight with a wonderful lady." The young lovers attended Glastonbury that summer, twinning in green and denim ensembles.
The twosome appeared in a chic Burberry campaign together, along with Watson's brother, Alex. She also starred in the New York-set music video for One Night Only's song "Say You Don't Want It," in which she flirted with her rocker boyfriend until the pair discovered that they were actually lovestruck dogs. In an interview with Radio 1 (via MTV), the actor gushed about her boyfriend. "We've been friends since the Burberry shoot. And when I was in the States, George was taking me through a lot of his music as he was recording it," she said. "I couldn't believe [how good the music was]. I'm a big fan. Everything he did was amazing."
Sadly, it wasn't to be and the couple called it quits in the fall of 2010. Craig told Marie Claire that the duo were struggling to maintain a long-distance relationship.
Emma Watson and Johnny Simmons were hot 'n' heavy
As Emma Watson kickstarted her career as an indie darling in the early 2010s, she followed the familiar route of dating one's co-star. In 2011, she was snapped snogging her "Perks of Being a Wallflower" colleague Johnny Simmons in Santa Monica. Eagle-eyed observers noted that the thespian lovers were unabashed about packing on the PDA in the California sun. "They weren't at all shy about it and obviously didn't mind who saw," a source told the Mirror. "Emma reached up to kiss him and gazed at him adoringly before he pulled her in for a tender embrace. They spent a few seconds staring into each other's eyes and it seemed obvious they were a couple." Though Watson previously denied that the pair were dating, it seemed that their secret love was no secret anymore.
At the time, The Sun (via Radar) reported that the couple had already moved in together, with Watson's father welcoming Simmons into his North London home. "Things are getting pretty serious between Emma and Johnny so she wanted to take him back to London to meet her parents," an insider disclosed. "They've been having a brilliant time together."
Unfortunately, it seems that Simmons never did relocate to London to be with his lady love. The two reportedly began suffering from relationship woes with sources telling the Daily Mail that Simmons refused to ditch Hollywood for England.
Will Adamowicz couldn't make it work with the star
One of Emma Watson's longest romances was with American boy Will Adamowicz. The relationship coincided with Watson swearing off dating another British guy after one too many bad experiences. On "The Ellen Show," she explained that while British guys know how to dress the part, they can also be a little too aloof and cold when it comes to romance. Her experience with American men was very different. "I remember a few nights into Brown this guy just being like, 'I like you. You're great. Let's go on a date. Let's do it,'" she recalled. "I'm like, 'I'm sorry, what just happened?'" This was possibly in reference to Adamowicz, who is a local to the Rhode Island region.
The couple reportedly met in Oxford, where Adamowicz was studying, at the tail end of 2011. They were first spotted together at Coachella in 2012, where they locked lips and Adamowicz held his gal tightly. In an interview with Glamour, Watson said she was disappointed the paps managed to snap the intimate photos, stating, "It was a huge crowd, and I thought there was no way anyone could get pictures of me. But somehow they found me. It's difficult on my dating life."
That summer, the loved-up twosome was photographed cuddling on a stroll through London. However, they split in the summer of 2013, with insiders telling the Mirror that Watson's crowded schedule got in the way of their romance.
Watson struggled with splitting from Matthew Janney
She may have sworn off canoodling with another Brit back in 2012, but Emma Watson soon returned to those reserved English guys she had previously shunned. Almost immediately after her split from Will Adamowicz in 2014, she moved on to Oxford rugby player Matthew Janney.
The duo were spotted cavorting in the Caribbean. And as with so many of the "Harry Potter" star's paramours, Janney was keen to pack on the PDA, smooching Watson on the beach and looking very much in love. "They didn't have a care in the world. Matt was very protective of Emma — often putting his arm around her," an onlooker dished to the Mirror. "He was being a gentleman the whole time. He is clearly very much into her ... They couldn't stop giggling and smiling the whole time."
Although the couple amicably parted ways by the end of the year, Watson was nevertheless devastated. Opening up about the breakup, which she termed "horrendous," to Vogue (via People), she revealed that she had taken on a vow of silence in the aftermath of her heartbreak. Subsequently, she retreated to the Rocky Mountains. "I felt really uncomfortable," she explained. "Even before my relationship ended, I went on a silent retreat, because I really wanted to figure out how to be at home with myself." As for rumors that her busy work schedule was getting in the way of her romantic life, she argued that such assertions were demeaning and patronizing to both her and her partners.
Did her friendship with Roberto Aguire turn romantic?
Following her painful split from Matthew Janney, Emma Watson appeared to swear off dating for several months. After her romance hiatus, she was snapped getting close to Roberto Aguire in the fall of 2015, on what may have been a casual lunch date in California. These two go way back, having met on the set of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" over a decade earlier, where they had a wholesome meet-cute. "I was doing an internship in the special effects department at the time," Aguire explained to Just Jared in 2012. "And one day we had a chance encounter that led to us spending half a day together exchanging stories and dance moves. We never really lost touch after that and now she's one of my best friends." Aguire suggested that he and Watson were just platonic pals, but did their relationship ever take a romantic turn, as several tabloids speculated? It's hard to know.
In 2015, he tweeted a photo of the duo hugging, writing, "Happy [Birthday] to one of the most amazing, kindest, and beautiful people I know. You mean the world to me." Meanwhile, in an interview with Teen Vogue the following year, Aguire remained coy when his relationship with Watson was brought up. However, the outlet noted that they remain close friends, with Aguire supporting her HeForShe campaign. "I've gotten to see the inside workings of her mind way before she launched HeForShe," he gushed. "It's this beautiful thing for her to have given to the world."
Emma Watson and William Mack Knight kept it low-key
In 2015, it was reported that Emma Watson had moved on to Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur William "Mack" Knight, who is a decade her senior. So, was he Emma's "Knight" in, erm, tech armor? It certainly appeared that way.
Sources who chatted to The Sun (via the Daily Mail) said that Knight, who is a Princeton grad with an impressive salary of around $125,500 a year, was just what the actor needed after her devastating split from Matthew Janney. "Mack is just a normal, down-to-earth guy who has nothing to do with Hollywood, and Emma loves that," an insider said. "She was left really hurt by her break-up with Matthew and it's taken her more than a year to feel ready to start again with somebody."
When Vanity Fair asked Watson about her relationship with Knight, she outright refused to discuss him, arguing that doing so would be hypocritical of her and demeaning to her boyfriend. "I can't talk about my boyfriend in an interview, and then expect people not to take paparazzi pictures of me walking around," she insisted. "... In Hollywood, who you're dating gets tied up into your film promotion and becomes part of the performance and the circus. I would hate anyone that I were with to feel like they were in any way part of a show." After nearly two years together, the pair amicably parted ways in the spring of 2017.
She was on and off with Chord Overstreet
After dating reserved Brits and American tech bros, Emma Watson set her sights elsewhere and began dating a "Glee" alum. Watson and Chord Overstreet were seen heading home together after the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2018, and grainy footage appeared to show the actor-turned-activist gazing at her rumored beau with puppy dog eyes. The lovers were later snapped at a Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats concert, and holding hands during a romantic outing. Insiders agreed that Hermione and New Directioner Sam Evans appeared a rather unlikely pairing. "They met through friends," a source revealed to People. "They might seem like an odd match but they actually have very similar personalities."
However, just a few months later, they called it quits with Watson making her feelings perfectly clear by unfollowing her ex on the 'gram. "Emma and Chord kept quiet about their relationship at first but they really hit it off ... Things just haven't worked out between them," an insider disclosed to The Sun.
Be that as it may, it seems that these lovebirds simply couldn't get enough of each other. Subsequently, the twosome made it evident that their romance was back on just a month later, after being snapped smooching and cuddling in Los Angeles. Overstreet also acted as the perfect Instagram boyfriend, taking cute pics of his gal as she enacted fun poses. However, their relationship appeared to fizzle out thereafter, suggesting that this was little more than a brief, albeit steamy, reconciliation.
Emma set her sights on older beau Brendan Wallace
By the fall of 2018, Emma Watson had moved on to venture capitalist Brendan Wallace. Like her ex, William Mack Knight, he is almost a decade older than the "Harry Potter" alum. The couple was snapped kissing passionately while on vacation in Mexico. "They kissed across the table and seemed passionate about each other," a source spilled to E! News. "She had a big smile on her face and seemed to really love being with him. They chatted a lot and spent time laughing together. They seemed like a very happy couple." An observer dished that the twosome gave each other back rubs as they relaxed on the same chaise lounge, while another revealed that the couple engaged in some adventurous fun, going camel riding before zooming off on motorcycles.
Despite their passionate display, the pair all but disappeared from the limelight after that, with Wallace later engaging in some PDA with Alexandra Daddario. But after a long period apart (at least in the public eye) Watson and Wallace had a brief reconciliation in March 2023. Eagle-eyed Tweeters shared photos of the happy duo standing side by side at a Taylor Swift concert in Las Vegas. Subsequently, this led to speculation that their romance was back on. Indeed, that year there were rumors that Wallace may be relocating to London (Watson owns a home in London). Asked about the move in an Instagram Q&A, Wallace said that, although he wasn't relocating, he would be visiting London frequently.
Emma Watson was seen getting cozy with Cole Cook
Following her split from long-term boyfriend William Mack Knight in 2017, the late 2010s proved to be the era in which Emma Watson seemingly staved off serious romances in favor of fleeting flings. In fact, in a 2019 interview with Vogue, which swiftly went viral, she confirmed that she didn't have a serious boyfriend. "I never believed the whole 'I'm happy single' spiel," she explained. "I was like, 'This is totally spiel.' It took me a long time, but I'm very happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered." However, she did freely add that she was enjoying casual dates with various individuals. "Not one specific person," she explained. "But I'm going on dates." That year, she went on one such date with the sibling of a super famous celeb.
In the spring, she was photographed out and about with Cole Cook, who is the brother of singer Alicia Keys. The duo was seen looking rather flirty as they waltzed through New York, with Watson grinning and gazing at her rumored beau. Thereafter, they grabbed dinner together at celeb hotspot, The Spotted Pig. Far from being a mere nepo-baby sibling, Cook is the founder of the creative agency Timeless Eye, which again highlights Watson's apparent penchant for ambitious, entrepreneurially minded men.
Following their brief outing, Watson and Cook were never seen in public together again, suggesting that this was little more than a friendly dinner date or, perhaps, a one-time rendezvous.
Did Leo Robinton and Emma Watson get engaged?
She may have told Vogue that she was happily single, but by the winter of 2019, Emma Watson had a new man in her life. The actor was snapped beaming as she snogged long-haired businessman, Leo Robinton on a date in London. The couple tried their best to keep their romance private, but the paps photographed them again the following year, grabbing coffee in the exclusive Primrose Hill neighborhood of The Big Smoke.
It appeared that these two were super serious, with gossip swirling that Robinton was ready to pop the question. However, Watson quashed the rumors on Twitter. "Rumors about whether I'm engaged or not, or whether my career is 'dormant or not' are ways to create clicks each time they are revealed to be true or untrue," she wrote. Later, she added, "If I have news — I promise I'll share it with you."
Be that as it may, insiders divulged that Watson was in it for the long haul. "Emma is so loved up with Leo and this is the happiest anyone's seen her in a relationship by a million miles," a source told Us Weekly. "They're so connected in every way and spend all their spare time together." Moreover, the source said that the actor was peeved by engagement rumors, as she didn't want to be rushed into putting a ring on it. The two allegedly broke up in the fall of 2021.
Is Brandon Green the one?
Could Brandon Green be responsible for Emma's Watson's split from Leo Robinton? She was spotted in London with Green in September 2021, a timeline that coincides with the dissolution of her romance with Robinton. "Over the summer Brandon has been wooing Emma," a source told the Daily Mail. "She's into him, but has kept it secret as no one knows that things have cooled with Leo ... He's really kind to her and she enjoys his company ... Brandon and Leo look similar. She certainly has a type."
Green is the son of controversial billionaire Sir Philip Green, who owned Topshop prior to its collapse, and who has also been accused of various fiscal and private indiscretions, per The Guardian. Although the elder Green has been condemned for reportedly relying on sweatshop labor, per The Times, his son shares Watson's passion for climate activism. "Over the past few decades, the climate has become a major concern and I think that, for people of my generation, it is without a doubt the biggest issue there is," he said in a video for Centre Scientifique De Monaco.
Again, this one appeared to be a long-term relationship. In August 2022, the couple was spotted on vacation in Italy, holding hands as they went on a romantic stroll. The lovers haven't been photographed in public since then, however. As previously stated, Watson was seen at a concert with her ex, Brendan Wallace in 2023. But whether this indicates she and Green have called it quits remains to be seen.