It has been more than eight years since Kate Winslet found the man of her dreams. The highly acclaimed Academy Award winning actor has been married to Edward Abel Smith (formerly Ned Rocknroll) since 2012. Kate has recently been winning hearts once again for her portrayal of Mare in HBO Max’s miniseries Mare of Easttown.
The show opened to rave reviews and is gaining widespread recognition across the globe. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Kate revealed that when she had doubts about the new character, her husband motivated her to go for it. In the same interview, she also shared that her husband is a “superhot, superhuman, stay-at-home dad.”
“He looks after us, especially me. I said to him earlier, like, ‘Neddy, could you do something for me?’ He just went, ‘Anything.’”
Who is Edward Abel Smith or Ned Rocknroll?
Edward Abel Smith, previously known as Ned Rocknroll, is the nephew of Richard Branson, owner and founder of Virgin Group. Smith currently works for his uncle at Virgin Galactic. He serves as the Head of Marketing at the space flight division for the promotion of the Astronaut Experience program.
Smith was born in 1978 to parents Robert Abel Smith and Linette J. Branson in the US. In 2008, Smith changed his real name to a humorous pseudonym and officially called himself Ned Rocknroll. However, he changed back to his original name once again in 2019. Smith was first married to Eliza Pearson, but the couple split two years after marriage.
His ex-wife, Eliza, has previously shared that Smith changed his name to represent his playful personality. In fact, Smith met wife Kate Winslet for the first time as Ned Rocknroll.
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Kate Winslet and his love story
The saying "third time’s a charm" certainly came true for Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet. After two previous marriages, Kate seems to have finally found her perfect match in Edward Abel Smith. The duo first met around 2010 at Smith’s uncle, Richard Branson’s private holiday venue, Necker Island. Kate was vacationing on the island with her then boyfriend Louis Dowler.
During the visit, the house caught a massive fire. It was during the tragedy that Kate met Smith for the first time. Kate and Ned were quick to realize the spark between them. Kate broke up with Dowler soon after and began dating Smith. The pair got engaged in 2012 and also tied the knot the same year.
Kate continued in her interview with NYT,
“He didn’t particularly plan on meeting and marrying a woman who is in the public eye and therefore having been so judged”
She also said that Smith is “an absolutely extraordinary life partner.”
“I’m so, so, so lucky. For a man who is severely dyslexic, as he is, he’s great at testing me on lines. It’s so hard for him to read out loud, but he still does it.”
Kate and Edward are parents to eight-year-old Bear. The couple has also given their son the middle name “Blaze” as a tribute to their first meeting amidst the house fire. Kate shares a daughter, Mia (20), with her first husband Jim Threapleton. She is also a mother to Joe (17), who she shares with second husband Sam Mendes.