Idris Elba's Ex-Wives: How Many Times Has The Actor Been Married?
Idris Elba celebrated his fourth wedding anniversary with his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba in April 2023, but this marriage isn't his first rodeo. So, just how many times has he tied the knot?
It's no secret that Idris is smitten with his wife of four years, Sabrina. In fact, over the years, he's been incredibly open about how he feels about her. That even culminated in a very public proposal at a 2018 screening for his film, "Yardie." Said proposal wasn't without irony, though. The year prior, in an interview with Essence about the movie, the actor-turned-director shared that he didn't think he'd ever get hitched again. "Am I ever gonna get remarried? I don't think so. Yeah, I don't think so ... Marriage is an institution of sorts. And I've done it. It's not for everybody. It's not my life's calling," he said. So, what changed? Speaking to People not long after saying their "I do's," he explained that everything had happened completely organically. "We started dating and I fell head over heels," he reminisced. A few months later, he spoke with the outlet again, and it was clear nothing had changed. In fact, he said his highlight of 2019 had been, "Getting married to my beautiful wife."
It's safe to say that Idris has pushed past his previous hesitations regarding marriage. That said, it's not exactly surprising that he had some apprehensions at one point. After all, Sabrina is his third wife.
His first marriage lasted four years (and they're amicable)
It's been a hot minute since Idris Elba joined the ranks of Hollywood's leading men, but once upon a time, he was just starting out — and his first wife, Hanne Kim Nørgaard (also known as Kim Elba) was with him for the start of his journey.
Speaking to Lee Bailey's EurWeb.com, the typically private Kim revealed that she had no ill will toward her ex (via BCNN1). In fact, she pointed out that she had a feeling, early on, that he was destined for big things. Granted, she also shared that she never would have anticipated just how big a star he'd become. However, she said that from the very beginning, she was well aware that the life she'd lead with Idris would be anything but low-key. "I knew that what Idris wanted to achieve would take major sacrifices, so I held on for the ride," she said. What's more, even after their split, Kim believes it was for the best. "I am very happy with how things have turned out for us all," she told the outlet.
As an aside, it's just as well that Kim has always been so supportive of Idris' career choices. After all, as their daughter, Isan Elba told Access Hollywood back in 2018, she's an aspiring actor and filmmaker, herself.
... and his second marriage ended in a matter of weeks
Three years after splitting from his first wife, Idris Elba went on to marry girlfriend Sonya Hamlin in a spur-of-the-moment Las Vegas ceremony. However, their 2006 matrimony was short-lived. We're talking six weeks, here.
So, what happened? In a 2016 interview with Mail Online, Hamlin revealed that soon after getting hitched, Elba — by then a rising star — began feeling the pressure to be a single man. "People were telling him he was going to ruin his career ... He was being told it was an important part of his image to be a single sex symbol in Hollywood and being married would damage that," she recounted. On top of that, she added that her position as a non-celebrity disqualified her even further. After a few hesitations, the two went their separate ways. However, there's no bad blood between the exes. In fact, Hamlin told the outlet that they keep in touch, and that she only wants the best for him.
Despite getting divorced twice, it's safe to say Elba takes staying on good terms with his ex-wives seriously. That seems to be the case with ex-girlfriends, too. Per People, mere months after splitting from ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth in early 2016, they attended that year's BAFTA TV Awards together. Sigh — it seems Elba really can do no wrong.