Sophie Turner — things you didn't know about the star

Sophie Turner is a British actress who shot to global fame as Sansa Stark in the cult fantasy series Game of Thrones.

Sophie is currently wowing audiences with her performance in the ITV drama Joan. The six-part series is based on the true life of Joan Hannington, Britain's most notorious jewel thief, who was dubbed "the Godmother" of the diamond heist.

"It’s about resilience and ambition – this woman (Joan) is so infectious, you can’t help but love her," Sophie told Harper's Bazaar. "I couldn’t give her up to anyone else!”

So for all the Sophie fans out there, here are a few fascinating facts you may not know about her.

Sophie Turner had a twin that passed away

Sophie Belinda Turner was born on February 21, 1996, in Northampton.

She's the daughter of Sally, a nursery teacher, and Andrew who works for a pallet distribution company. Sophie has two older brothers, James and Will, who she describes as her 'best friends'. 

Very sadly, Sophie's twin died in utero, and it's a tragedy that's shaped her life. 

Speaking to You Magazine, she revealed: “My mum had a miscarriage - my twin died and I lived. That definitely affected me in terms of I always felt as though… something was missing.

"I have two older brothers who are close in age and I always felt as though I needed someone or should have had someone there. I guess there's a sense of loss there that I have used to conjure emotions onscreen."

She started performing as a little girl

When Sophie was two, her family moved to Chesterton in Warwickshire. Her childhood home was a large Edwardian property, complete with pigsties, barns and a paddock. 

Sophie started acting at three after her mum took her to drama class at the Playbox Theatre Company to try and bring her shy daughter out of her shell.

But there are acting genes in the family. Sophie's grandfather was an extra in film and television and involved in amateur dramatics. “He was my kindred spirit, my spirit animal,” Sophie told British Vogue.

Throughout her education at Warwick Prep School, then The King's High School for Girls, Sophie knew she wanted to be an actress. She even turned down a place at the Royal Ballet School when she was 11 in favour of pursuing drama.

Sophie got her big break on Game of Thrones at 14

Sophie was in Year 8 at school when her drama teacher suggested she try out for a role in a new HBO series. She went through five auditions before landing the part of noblewoman Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones.

Sophie started filming on the show when she was 14 and had to dye her naturally blonde hair red for the role. 

She appeared in all eight seasons of Game of Thrones - which was watched by 19.3 million viewers at its peak, and was nominated for an Emmy award for her portrayal of Sansa, 'the Queen of the North'.

Sophie's experience on the show is still incredibly special to her, so much so that she has a Game of Thrones tattoo on her inner arm. And in case you're wondering it's of a direwolf, the symbol of House Stark, her character’s family.

She achieved a B in her GSCE drama

Sophie was still at school when she got her job on Game of Thrones, and would spend half of the year filming and the other half in education.

Because she was under 16, Sophie's mum had to chaperone her while she was filming, but she went it alone after that.

"The producers, runners and actors (on GoT) raised me, alongside my parents," Sophie shared with Elle UK. "They taught me how to be an independent working woman. At 16, I felt like I was a fully-fledged adult."

Sophie also had a tutor on the set of the series. She went on to achieve a full set of GCSEs, with five A-grades and a B in Drama.

She adopted her dog from Game of Thrones

As a little girl, Sophie always had dreams of owning a dog.

Those dreams came true in 2012 when Sophie convinced her family to adopt the canine who played Sansa's ill-fated pet, Lady on Game of Thrones. In the show, poor Lady met a grisly end when Cersei ordered Ned Stark to kill her.

"We kind of fell in love with my character’s dire wolf, Lady, on set,” Sophie told the Coventry Telegraph in 2013. “We knew Lady died [on the show] and they wanted to re-home her."

So with that, the beautiful Northern Inuit, called Zunni, found her forever home when she went to live with the Turner family back in Warwickshire. 

She took her brother on her first date with Joe Jonas

True story! American singer Joe Jonas first slid into Sophie's DM's back in 2016 when he asked her out on a date.

They arranged to have a drink in a pub in Camden, but Sophie decided she didn't want to go alone...

“I brought my brother and all my guy friends because I didn’t know if I was maybe getting catfished,” she recalled to British Vogue.

After a whirlwind romance and engagement, Sophie and Joe eloped to Las Vegas and got hitched just hours after attending the Billboard Music Awards. The couple had a second ceremony in Provence that summer for their friends and family.

Sadly the fairytale didn't last, and in September 2023, Sophie and Joe announced they were divorcing.

In a joint statement, they said: "After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage. There are many speculative narratives as to why, but truly, this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children."

She's a proud mum of two

Sophie is mum to two little girls, Willa and Delphine, who she describes as the 'absolute rays of sunshine in my life.'

Her eldest, Will, was a lockdown baby and born in the summer of 2020. Delphine arrived two years later as a much-wanted sibling for Willa, and Sophie has spoken of the pleasure she has knowing her daughters have one another.

Sophie says she drew on her own experience of being a single parent to portray her character in Joan, who was also a mother.

"Joan changed me quite a lot," she explained in an interview with The Sunday Times. "The series came around at a time in my life where I had to be ambitious and I had to have such strong will and fight against the forces. She gave me a lot of strength."

'If I hadn't been a mother, I don't know if I would have been able to bring the same energy that I did into it."

She's just gone Instagram official with her new man

Sophie is currently dating Peregrine Pearson, the eldest son of Michael Pearson, 4th Viscount Cowdray.

The actress shared a snap of her new beau - who's heir to his family's considerable fortune - on Instagram, 29 days after her divorce was finalised.

The couple were first seen together back in December last year, but this summer Sophie posted a series of photos on her social media, where Peregrine can be seen relaxing with her friends.

Sophie's fans went wild for the pictures, with many commenting on their delight at her finding happiness again. Aww.

Sophie Turner's fact file

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We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.