Benedict Cumberbatch marries theatre director Sophie in 'magical' English wedding

The Valentine's Day wedding of Hollywood star Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter was 'magical'.

The couple, who announced their engagement in a notice in the Times in November, tied the knot in a private ceremony in the south of England.

A spokeswoman for the Sherlock star said: "Benedict and Sophie were married yesterday surrounded by their close friends and family. It was a magical day."

Actor Tom Hiddleston refused to comment on what the day was like when he was asked about it at the What's On Stage Awards in London.

Asked if he had fun, he said he could not talk about it as it was a 'private occasion'.

The Imitation Game star Benedict, 38, who is shortlisted for a best actor Oscar later this month for his role as tortured genius war hero Alan Turing, met 36-year-old Sophie when they appeared together in the 2009 film Burlesque Fairytales.

Last month it was reported that the couple are expecting their first child.

Benedict, who has a global army of fans jokingly referred to as 'Cumberbitches', is enjoying a golden period in his career as one of Britain's most popular actors.

He has been lauded for his role as codebreaker Turing, having also starred in Star Trek: Into Darkness and 12 Years a Slave after leaping into the public consciousness in the title role of the BBC's detective series Sherlock.

He previously dated the actress Olivia Poulet and the designer Anna Jones.

Sophie is an Oxford graduate who studied modern languages. She has directed a number of experimental and avant garde productions including a puppet version of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition which toured the US.

She has taken acting roles in TV shows such as Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood and an episode of Midsomer Murders, as well as the 2004 film version of Vanity Fair starring Reese Witherspoon.

Her stage productions as a director have also included the Britten opera The Rape of Lucretia. She has also had a music career of her own, recording a French language album with Robbie Williams's collaborator Guy Chambers in 2005 called The Isis Project, after they met through a mutual friend.

Benedict disappearance from the eligible bachelor lists came just a matter of weeks after fellow A-lister Hollywood star George Clooney married the lawyer Amal Alamuddin.

 

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Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.