THE RUNDOWN
Kit Harington and Rose Leslie’s relationship unfolded gradually, beginning around their time working together on Game of Thrones.They kept their romance largely private before making their first official red carpet appearance in 2016 and marrying two years later.Since then, they’ve built a family and reflected on their partnership through interviews.
Kit Harington and Rose Leslie’s relationship started the way many great Hollywood love stories do: at work. Though they became co-stars playing one of Game of Thrones’ most memorable couples, it took years before they publicly acknowledged their offscreen relationship and even longer before they began sharing glimpses of their life together.
Since then, the pair has spoken sparingly but candidly about their partnership, marriage, and family. Here, a look back at their relationship, from their early days working together on Game of Thrones to their life as parents.
October 2011
Leslie began working on Game of Thrones’ second season in 2011 when she joined the series as Ygritte opposite Harington’s Jon Snow.
While neither actor has identified the exact moment they met, Leslie later reflected on working with Harington. “We had known each other before we started working together on Game of Thrones,” the actress told People in 2014, per Bustle. “It was always such a privilege to be working opposite him and such a blessing that we get on in real life because it made our characters more believable.”
Years later, Harington described the time they spent filming together in Iceland as a turning point. Speaking to L’Uomo Vogue in 2016, per Entertainment Tonight, he said: “The three weeks in Iceland when we were shooting the second season. Because the country is beautiful, because the Northern Lights are magical, and because it was there that I fell in love. If you’re already attracted to someone, and then they play your love interest in the show, it becomes very easy to fall in love.”
August 2012
On August 24, photos surfaced of Harington and Leslie dining together in London, marking the first time they were publicly linked outside of work. The images sparked dating speculation, though neither actor confirmed a relationship at the time.
May 2014
As speculation grew, Harington continued to keep quiet. In an interview with the London Evening Standard, he called the romance claims “all rumor and myth,” saying, “Me and Rose (Leslie) are very, very close and very good friends. And continue to be, actually. She’s wonderful. But no, no love affair.”
Harington also made it clear he intended to keep his love life private, saying, “On a serious level, I wouldn’t tell the press if I was in a relationship or not. I wouldn’t ever reveal that, because it takes you down a certain road…I have no desire to be courting the press with my love life. It’s not my job, it’s not who I am—and I actually think it’s more fun for everyone to speculate. The minute I start telling people things are true or not true, then it’s just boring.”
August 2013
By mid-2013, reports suggested that the couple had taken a step back from their relationship. Neither spoke publicly about the rumored split.
July 2014
Less than a year later, Harington and Leslie were photographed arriving together at LAX ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, where they both appeared on a Game of Thrones panel. The sighting marked their first public appearance together since breakup rumors started.
Years later, Harington alluded to that on-and-off period while speaking at an HBO fan convention.
“Sometimes when you find the person you’re meant to be with you try and push each other away for a while…That’s what we did for a bit.”
During the same appearance, Harington also spoke at length about Leslie as both a collaborator and a partner. “Still to this day, my favorite working relationship I’ve ever had, for various reasons,” he said.
He went on to recall how he felt when Leslie joined the show for its second season. “I was full of confidence. The first season had gone well, and she was coming in for the second season,” he explained.
At the time, he said, he wasn’t expecting to fall into another serious relationship.
“I had just broken up—I had an ex-girlfriend, we were broken up, and I was ready to go out and play the field,” he said. “And then I fell in love. I remember coming back to my flatmate and going, ‘Oh my God, I think I’ve met the one.’ He was like, ‘Dude, you’ve been out of a relationship for two months.’”
Harington also described Leslie’s on-screen presence as an extension of qualities she already had off camera.
“She brings a fierceness to what she does which is just natural to her,” he said. “She’s the sweetest person; she’s got a heart of gold; she’s the loveliest individual I’ve ever met; there’s not a bad thing in her. And yet when she comes on screen, she exercises whatever is inside of her that she’s holding back when she’s being lovely.”
Reflecting on their early scenes together, he added, “We clicked immediately—chemistry-wise and everything.”
Harington also said the idea of working together again has come up over the years, even if it still feels strange to imagine. “I’d love to work with Rose again,” he said. “Nothing has happened as of yet, but things have been thought of. We often talk about it—could I act with you again?—and then we just burst out laughing. It would be weird acting with Rose. She thinks we couldn’t, and I think we could.”
August 2015
Throughout 2015, the pair appeared together only occasionally, including being photographed together in London. Despite renewed public interest, they continued to avoid confirming details about their relationship.
January 2016
The pair were photographed on a trip in Los Angeles, holding hands during a shopping outing on January 30.
April 2016
They made their first official red carpet appearance as a couple at the Olivier Awards in London.
May 2017
Harington reiterated why he rarely discusses their relationship publicly, saying in an interview with Esquire, “It’s as much her relationship as it is mine, and I can’t speak for both of us. But yeah, we are very, very happy. So that’s what I’ll say about that.”
June 2017
Harington spoke about moving in with Leslie during an appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden, highlighting how exciting the transition felt: “I’ve moved in with my best friend, Rose. So I’m very, very happy, and it’s going well; she’s got all sorts of ideas for the house…I said to her, ‘Look, darling, this is important that it’s our space, that you haven’t just moved into mine.’”
He added that Leslie immediately began reimagining the house, recalling one particular moment: “I went to the shops, and I came back and said, ‘What did you decide?’ And she said, ‘We’re moving the kitchen downstairs.’”
September 2017
On September 27, the couple announced their engagement through a printed notice in The Times of London. The announcement read:
“The engagement is announced between Kit, younger son of David and Deborah Harington of Worcestershire, and Rose, middle daughter of Sebastian and Candy Leslie of Aberdeenshire.”
Sources confirmed the engagement to People the day before the announcement appeared.
October 2017
The following month, Harington explained on The Jonathan Ross Show that he had planned an elaborate proposal but didn’t wait. “I did have some plans to do it, I was going to string up some lights in some trees and do all the romantic stuff, but we were in the country, and we were under this beautiful night sky and had a log fire burning and red wine, and I blew my load early…What I meant to say was, I popped my question a bit early.”
June 2018
Harington and Leslie married on June 23, at Kirkton of Rayne church in Aberdeenshire, with their reception held at Leslie’s family castle, Wardhill. Several Game of Thrones cast members attended the celebration, including Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.
September 2018
After Game of Thrones won Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys, Harington reflected on the show’s impact on his life.
“I met my wife on this show,” the actor told Variety backstage. “In that way it gave me my future family. That’s the main thing it did for me.”
April 2019
Ahead of the Game of Thrones series finale, Harington spoke to InStyle about looking toward the future, saying, “The most important job I’ll ever have is about to finish…Well, not the most. Hopefully, I’ll be a father.”
That same month, he also told Willie Geist on Sunday Today that he and Leslie looked forward to moving beyond being defined by the show: “It happens that we met in the show, and we’ve always tried not to be defined by that a bit. That’s just a job we met on. And I think once this show finishes, we get to kind of break free of it, a bit, and just be us, which is a really nice feeling.”
September 2020
Leslie revealed she was pregnant in a photoshoot for Make Magazine, where she spoke about the couple’s Tudor-era home in East Anglia and the sense of calm it provided.
“What a glorious thing to be able to run to the countryside and recoup,” she said. “It’s a great privilege to be surrounded by greenery, birdsong and hedgerows, and our delightful neighbors. It’s so peaceful.”
October 2020
Leslie shared her excitement about her pregnancy, telling The New York Post on October 21, “I am thrilled to be expecting, and I can’t wait to meet the new member of our family!”
February 2021
On February 16, photos came out of the couple walking with their newborn baby.
August 2021
Six months into parenthood, Harington spoke to Entertainment Tonight about how fatherhood reshaped his priorities.
“It has definitely softened a part of me,” the actor said. “It has also taught me to look outwards a bit. I think all actors have a tendency of being egocentric and being self-obsessed, because our art and work is a projection and part of ourselves. Having a kid changes that somewhat. At the end of the day you are like, ‘I have this child to get back to.’” He added, “I put more pressure on myself as a new father but less as an actor.”
September 2021
On September 13, Harington and Leslie stepped out together at the Met Gala, marking one of their rare joint red carpet appearances since welcoming their first child earlier that year. Harington wore a crisp white tuxedo jacket paired with black trousers and a black bow tie, while Leslie opted for a strapless yellow tulle gown with a full skirt and diamond drop earrings.
April 2022
Leslie spoke to Harper’s Bazaar UK about Harington’s sobriety and how she approached it inside their marriage, saying, “I’ve learnt a lot about addiction and it’s something Kit is forever going to be aware of, but it’s on him whether he chooses to drink again. No amount of nannying is going to be able to stop him from doing what he decides to do…I don’t choose to put that pressure on myself. The responsibility of his behavior is on him. It’s not on me to guard him from it.”
In the same interview, she also said: “For Kit, being an addict, it’s very important for him to recognize himself as such,” and added, “The AA community has provided such a loving space for him to feel heard, to make sure he’s not alone. But if it weren’t for rehab, he would be in a very different headspace right now.”
May 2022
Leslie discussed feeling comfortable in her marriage while speaking with Extra about her role in The Time Traveler’s Wife, saying: “I think being in a relationship and knowing that you have a supportive partner can only lend itself to feeling more secure in yourself, and therefore, hopefully, kind of growing together into two people who are more anchored.”
That same month, Leslie spoke to The Guardian about how the couple handled work and parenting logistics when their son was a newborn: “My husband and I were well aware that with this undertaking, he would be doing the night shifts,” she shared. “How brilliant is that? A loving husband being, like, ‘No, don’t you worry, every time he cries, it’s going to be on me.’” She added that she had “a wonderful little smug smile every time he did cry.”
Leslie also described how she felt after giving birth: “I had only ever come across the narrative of ‘When your newborn is in your arms, or when he’s placed on your chest, your purpose is here and everything makes sense and this little light is everything that you’ve ever wished for,’” she said. “Going into labor, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t wait for this magical moment!’ I am not taking anything away from that moment—obviously it’s magical—but it was many other emotions as well. And it took me a while to process what they were, and because of that, I think it’s quite important to speak about it. Because I’m not the only one who feels this way. You feel like you’re somehow already on the back foot if you’re experiencing anything but love.”
February 2023
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Harington announced that the couple was expecting their second child.
“I’m terrified,” Harington said. “You know, with the first baby, you’re like walking on clouds and dancing through fields of daisies for nine months—well, the man is, anyway. But this time, the reality check comes much shorter. You get practical real quick.”
July 2023
Harington’s representative told Page Six that the couple welcomed a daughter, sharing, “They’re delighted to have welcomed a little girl into the family.”
August 2024
While promoting Industry, Harington gave a rare update on both their children in an interview with Extra: “My little girl just took her first steps the other day. I’m doing a play in London, and I’m missing them a lot. I have a boy and a girl now. I couldn’t be more blessed. They are the most beautiful children in every single way. They are just gorgeous.”
January 2026
In a January 2026 interview with Mr. Porter, Harington spoke at length about family life with Leslie and how parenting grounded him during filming.
“Rose and I knew it was going to probably be quite a heavy season…and Rose was working in Stratford doing a play. She said, ‘OK, you take the kids while you’re filming in Cardiff.’ So, when I’d come back from filming, where I’ve been doing God knows what, I’d walk in the door, and the kids were there. And anything dark I’d had to deal with during the day was gone. It was bizarre, and it was great. I’d get home and be a dad.”
He also spoke about what he values most in his kids: “They’re both awake to the world, and they’re kind. They are all I want from my children. I have been blessed with two who have both those attributes in spades.”
And he described how marriage looks in their day-to-day life now: “Rose and I are very caring of each other. We’re very loving and tactile, and we make sure we tell each other that we love each other. Rose is just the most genuine soul. I’m very, very lucky. I really am.”
