Fifty Shades of Jamie Dornan (5 page)

Once filming on
The Jacket
finished in March, it was Jamie’s chance to patch things up with Keira properly. When she returned to London to celebrate her nineteenth birthday at home, he finally managed to spend some quality time with her; he also started to get to know the Knightley family and it was clear that he fitted in well. Keira’s mother Sharman immediately warmed to her daughter’s new beau and quickly became a confidante to Jamie, as the young showbiz couple in the coming weeks and months began to struggle with certain negative – and very frightening – aspects of fame. ‘Sharman was very fond of Jamie – of all Keira’s boyfriends, he is her favourite,’ a family friend revealed a year later after their split. ‘It may have been something to do with the fact that Jamie had lost his own mother at the age of sixteen and Sharman has been almost a surrogate mum to him recently.

‘Jamie is such a vulnerable kind of guy, plus she is Scottish and he is Northern Irish and that Celtic connection may have helped them get along.’

With a break in filming, the pair had time at last to nurture their relationship and found plenty to keep them busy. Since it was Keira’s birthday, she decided to go on a well-earned shopping spree and as well as looking for a car – ‘a Mini Cooper S in black’ – the loved-up duo were also spotted house-hunting together. It was time for the pretty actress to move out of her parents’ house, and she invited Jamie to come and live with her. ‘I don’t know if they found anywhere suitable but Jamie certainly seemed to enjoy looking!’ one onlooker noted as they browsed estate agent windows in west London.

Keira eventually snapped up a £1.5 million apartment in fashionable Mayfair and in June 2004 the pair moved in together – along with a few friends. ‘I actually moved in with about six people in the end,’ she told US talk show host Jay Leno, ‘which was a bit of a problem because there were only two bedrooms. It was very crowded! But I kept on asking more people to move in, forgetting that I only had two bedrooms.’ Far from a romantic love nest for two, the apartment also had further problems: ‘It’s got water pouring through the ceiling, the electricity doesn’t work and the toilet broke,’ she admitted at the time.

After a period of temporarily moving back to her parents’ house while the issues with their new house were fixed, the pair began living together properly and Jamie got to know ‘the real’ Keira. Having grown up with two sisters, Jamie was used to living with girls but even so he probably hadn’t bargained on Keira being something of a tomboy who liked to break down inhibitions by farting. ‘As soon as you fart in front of somebody, the whole illusion has gone in an instant,’ she explained.

Not put off by Keira’s toilet humour, Jamie was now head over heels in love with the pretty star and evenings were spent preparing her home-cooked meals – including his specialities, roast dinners and spaghetti bolognese – while she challenged gender stereotypes by buying him flowers. However, the domesticity seemed to end there, as Keira admitted that she would often take their dirty laundry back to her mum’s house in Teddington.

Family ties were strengthened further when Jamie invited Keira back to his childhood home in Northern Ireland where she was welcomed with open arms by his adoring family. Keira immediately struck up a bond with his sister Jessica, a former designer for clothing brand Diesel, over their mutual love of books and fashion. She also proved a hit with his father Jim, who clearly believed the film star was something of a positive influence on his son after the tragedies of his teenage years. ‘Well, she’s a very nice person indeed,’ the fifty-six-year-old consultant obstetrician proudly told the
Belfast Telegraph
in late 2004. ‘I’ve met her a few times and she’s actually very straightforward. She’s visited Northern Ireland and like Jamie she’s a huge fan of the sandwiches you get in Doorsteps on the Lisburn Road.’

It wasn’t long, therefore, before stories started to emerge that Jamie was to marry his famous girlfriend of just under a year. ‘They were spotted strolling around Bond Street the other day looking in shop windows at diamond engagement rings. Keira seemed to have her eye on something pretty special and she’s told friends she’d love to get married sooner rather than later,’ a friend divulged to the
Daily Mirror
newspaper.

‘They also visited a jeweller in Harrods but the store was sworn to secrecy and promised not to talk. It seems they are preparing to get engaged, or maybe they’ve already done it and kept it a secret.’ Discussing the couple’s previous ‘rocky’ relationship and the home they were now enjoying together, the source added, ‘There have been a few problems with renovations at the apartment but they’re settling in well.’ Keen to scotch the marriage rumours, Keira broke her silence a few days later in a magazine interview, saying, ‘Jamie’s great but I’m way too young for marriage. One day in the future, maybe, but marriage and kids are just not on my mind at the moment.’

In fact, Jamie and Keira had more serious matters on their plate. The stunning actress now had some major films under her belt and since becoming instantly recognisable – especially as she was living in one of the most sought after districts of London – her fame was coming at a price. The more famous Keira was becoming, the less freedom they seemed to have and at times the situation was becoming disturbing. Jamie was now seriously worried about Keira’s safety – and, naturally, his own by association – as she was being chased by paparazzi on a weekly and sometimes daily basis, as well as being stalked by obsessive fans. ‘I have found myself thinking, “look what happened to Diana”,’ Keira admitted at the time, in reference to Princess Diana who had died seven years previously in a car crash during a paparazzi chase. ‘For some reason your instinct is to run away and you really do begin to think, “Oh my God, there could be an accident here”.’

Fans had also begun to lie in wait for Keira to return home at night and her terrified mother Sharman had started a regular
ritual of combing the streets before letting her daughter out of the car in case someone jumped on her. ‘This nutter has been hanging outside my house, it’s been really alarming. My mother has been so upset and I just hate it,’ Keira revealed.

‘Keira plays it cool but you can understand her mum’s worry. This bloke has really shaken Sharman up,’ a friend said in 2004. ‘He is probably just a harmless fan, but you can never be too sure. There are so many weirdos in London.’ Jamie also shared Sharman’s concerns and told BBC Radio Ulster some days later, ‘She’s a nineteen-year-old girl and if she goes anywhere on her own, there’s men following her. It’s almost certainly paparazzi but there’s the off chance that it could be some absolute weirdo.

‘You do get quite aware of the paparazzi and stuff, but I do think they’re the lowest. I can’t handle them at all.’

It was increasingly obvious from Jamie’s rare openness about the situation that the responsibility of dating someone in the public eye was taking its toll. He and Keira had started to dress down when leaving the house in order to try not to draw attention, with the actress wearing baggy trousers, beanie hats and no make-up. Nights out were also being replaced with evenings in front of the TV in order to avoid being out in public. The relentless attention, however, wasn’t just confined to London, as residents living close to Jamie’s childhood home in Holywood, County Down, had also noticed the model’s now famous girlfriend arriving in town for weekend breaks. ‘She has been over before but no one really recognised who she was – it will probably be a lot harder now,’ a source told the local paper. ‘If she lands in Ireland you’ll be the first to know.’

Matters seemed to go from bad to worse when at the London premiere of
King Arthur
the pair were at the centre of a terrifying security alert. Looking stunning on the red carpet, Keira appeared every bit the A-list celebrity as she stood dripping in £250,000-worth of diamonds on loan from Asprey’s and accompanied by Jamie in a designer black silk suit and shirt. Thousands of fans had turned out to the event in Leicester Square and the young couple couldn’t believe the reaction she was getting. ‘I can’t believe how many people are here,’ Jamie’s now famous lover was overheard saying. ‘I don’t believe I could ever get used to this sort of reaction.’

The couple were clearly bowled over by the turnout but as the evening wore on, their feelings of excitement turned to disbelief when, due to a ‘breakdown in communications’ with organisers of the event, the duo were left alone during a terrifying crush in the VIP area, without her security guards in sight. Worried the necklace and bracelet would be stolen in the mayhem, security staff stormed through the crowds and swooped on the actress before dramatically stripping her of the jewels from around her arm and neck. Jamie and Keira were left feeling exposed and very, very scared. ‘I was really quite frightened. Security rushed in here at midnight and took them off me […] it was terrifying to have all these people crushing around me when I was wearing all that money,’ she revealed at the time. ‘Now they’re safely away I can just party with Jamie – he was really worried about my safety.’

Being plunged headlong into the world of celebrity was without doubt beginning to become something of an arduous
task for Jamie, as he tried hard to enjoy his own ‘normal’ life, which he prized so much. It was, after all, not his career that was bringing the international fame and intrusive attention, but Keira’s. Being her partner required a massive dose of responsibility and loyalty – it was undoubtedly a big ask. While she took centre stage publicly and reaped the financial rewards, he was forced to take something of a back seat, despite the fact that he was being scrutinised almost as much.

Back home in Ireland, his every move was being documented and celebrated – it was now something he couldn’t escape. ‘The image of Ulster males got a makeover last week when twenty-one-year-old Holywood model, Jamie Dornan appeared arm-in-arm with hot actress Keira Knightley at the world premiere of her new film,
King Arthur
,’ his local paper proclaimed. ‘The stunning actress had Jamie as her escort and most of the world’s paparazzi flashbulbs were popping in the direction of the good-looking young couple, propelling the Co Down man onto the international stage.

‘With his easy style, cropped blond hair, tanned skin, grey-blue eyes and natural stubble, Jamie is the epitome of relaxed glamour – a real Holywood man – Holywood, Co Down that is.’

Keira, meanwhile, was making headlines in glossy magazines and newspapers the world over; photographers were trailing her wherever she went and with every film came relentless TV and press interviews, and red carpet appearances. Jamie, as dutiful boyfriend, was now expected to behave impeccably so as not to damage her reputation, remaining tight-lipped about the intricacies of their relationship while at the same time enduring
the various security threats that now engulfed them as a couple. ‘She’s the most beautifully grounded person I’ve ever met,’ Jamie said a year later. ‘It’s very scary walking down the red carpets. And unless you’re the kind of person who likes answering questions about who made your dress – which Keira isn’t – you’re scared. Keira is just a young girl.’

It wasn’t going to be easy but for now, at least, Jamie appeared to be happy and very much in love, and they were facing this crazy world of showbiz together. ‘You would wake up and read the papers or look online and see a photo of Jamie with Keira coming out of somewhere like Pret a Manger,’ a source close to the couple admitted.

‘According to the columnist, he enjoyed a “tuna mayonnaise and rocket” sandwich that day,’ the source continued. ‘It was completely bonkers, you couldn’t make it up – the world knew more about him than his mates. You did question how long someone as private as Jamie would be able to put up with that level of intrusion. To be fair, he seemed fine with it, so no one was going to question it. Keira was obviously worth the hassle.’

T
here was no doubt about it: Jamie was smitten.

Keira’s career had now taken her to Hollywood, where she was filming action thriller
Domino
, and it wasn’t long before the proud model was jetting to Los Angeles to take his famous girlfriend Christmas shopping. The couple were already dodging nasty rumours that Jamie was only in it for a career leg-up but the truth was that they were a young couple in love. ‘He keeps her sane,’ a friend of the pair said at the time. ‘Keira’s the first person to admit that. He’s so down to earth and sweet, it would be all too easy for Keira to be consumed by her career but he reminds her that there’s a world outside Hollywood.’

Strolling hand in hand through Tinseltown, the couple were seen diving in and out of shops, emerging from a bookstore with a Bob Dylan autobiography before stopping at underwear boutique Victoria’s Secret. It was clear their relationship was
flourishing despite the need for them to travel great distances – sometimes thousands of miles – to spend time with each other.

In January 2005, ever understanding of Keira’s career, the handsome model was snapped by her side at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah to watch a screening of her film,
The Jacket.
A month later they were reunited in London, this time huddled in each other’s arms while walking around the antique stores of Notting Hill in the rain. ‘Keira had a spring in her step, she was walking hand in hand with Jamie and you can tell they are totally loved up,’ an onlooker noted to a magazine at the time.

The pair had returned to the capital for Keira’s twentieth birthday, which was to be a modest affair with just close friends and family. ‘I like to go to normal places – just basic bistros and cafes,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve never been the kind of person to go out to places like The Ivy and pose, it’s just not me.’

The truth was, of course, that it was becoming impossible for Jamie and Keira to meet in public places, even if they wanted to. Keira had worked on three film sets in 2004 and the media interest was overwhelming; when she wasn’t being hounded for a press or TV interview, there was another premiere to go to, a charity event to attend or auditions and rehearsals for the next role.

It wasn’t like Jamie was waiting in the wings either; his modelling career was seriously taking flight and endless bookings were now taking him across the globe. Ever since the Asprey photo shoot with Keira, Select had been inundated with requests for fresh-faced Jamie to grace their campaigns. The buzz surrounding his relationship had undeniably helped and,
after escorting his famous girlfriend down the red carpet at the New York premiere of
King Arthur
in June 2004, his international profile had soared.

It wasn’t long before he was fronting an advertising campaign for Calvin Klein. It was the major modelling breakthrough he’d been waiting for. In a series of controversial, erotic shots for the designer’s autumn 2004 range, Jamie appeared writhing on a beach with Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova in skintight black jeans and with a rippling, bare torso.

So successful was the campaign that he became a firm favourite with the fashion house overnight, and future jobs were sent his way when the CK group booked him two seasons later – this time opposite the formidable supermodel Kate Moss. The snaps also proved to make him something of an ambassador of the Calvin Klein lifestyle, a brand which was described in the press as ‘hot, sexually provocative and steamy’ and deemed so ‘pornographic’ in some quarters that they provoked demonstrations beneath billboards.

Behind closed doors, though, Jamie appeared nonplussed with the fuss that the sexy adverts fuelled. ‘Calvin Klein wants to be controversial, so if people are demonstrating under a billboard of me getting my arse bitten by Natalia Vodianova, then that’s a win for them, because it creates attention,’ he told
The Times
newspaper. ‘I hope that’s the closest I’ll ever come to porn.’

Throughout the summer more signings came, with Jamie fronting collections for Tommy Hilfiger and British designer John Richmond. ‘Jamie Dornan is one of the most exciting new
faces to hit the international model scene this year,’
Showcase
magazine wrote in June 2005, alongside a photo of Jamie with a shaved head and modelling a John Richmond T-shirt.

Now living in New York, the offers were coming in thick and fast, and the year heralded a Caribbean-inspired print campaign for Armani Exchange and a photo editorial in
GQ
magazine, in which Jamie was heralded as ‘the male Kate Moss’. ‘In the span of twenty years, I’ve seen maybe four models who have what Jamie Dornan has,’ said Jim Moore, the long-time creative director at
GQ
, who put much of his success down to having a face the camera loved. ‘There is something else though. He’s like the male Kate Moss. His proportions are a little off. He has a slight build. He’s on the small side for male models. But his torso is long, and so he looks taller, and he brings a relaxed quality to modelling. He knows what he’s there for, but unlike a lot of people he’s not trying to be a male model. He is not modelling.’

Astonishingly, and in typical Jamie fashion, he didn’t believe the hype. Instead, he was attributing his newfound success to American bookers being fooled by his Irish charm. ‘I think the only reason I’ve done well to date is that I don’t take it very seriously,’ he told a local radio station in Northern Ireland. ‘I feel completely blessed to be able to do it, and it’s a great way to make money, travel around and have a laugh.

‘[…] You go over to America, talk to some people in an Irish accent, and they love it. They think you’re all very nice, and they book you.’

The shoot for men’s magazine
GQ
in January 2005 was a roaring success, with their website inundated with comments
from adoring fans – both male and female. Ironically, the shot – which saw the Irish star posing in a charcoal grey suit with his hair slicked back – was pulled out of the archives in 2013 by
E! Online
and posted on its website in the wake of Jamie’s casting in
Fifty Shades of Grey
. ‘Even though Jamie is fully clothed in
GQ
’s January 2005 issue, he still embodies all the sexiness that is Christian Grey even back then,’ a journalist on the entertainment website swooned.

It was true to say that ‘even back then’ – in his twenties – it was abundantly obvious that this young model had something out of the ordinary. Indeed, it was no surprise then that news of his ability to act so effortlessly for the camera had started to spread throughout the industry and the first mutterings of Jamie being touted as an actor started to emerge. A friend admitted a few weeks after the
GQ
editorial that Jamie was being put forward for screen parts. ‘Jamie is modelling with Select but he’s been approached by a number of leading acting agencies. He’s Irish, dark-haired and can grow great facial hair so he’s being touted as the next Colin Farrell,’ the source told Britain’s
Mail on Sunday
newspaper.

Until that moment, Jamie’s life had been focused on two things: modelling and Keira. As his career was about to crank up a gear and perhaps follow a new path into acting, the love-struck pair decided to seize on a quiet break in their schedules in April to take their first holiday together. Packing their bags, they jetted to a luxury resort in the Caribbean, where they hoped to enjoy the golden sands and crystal clear pools far away from the Hollywood limelight. Eager to keep his girlfriend happy,
Jamie also went to amazing lengths to ensure that Keira had a romantic break to remember at their sumptuous hotel in St Vincent. ‘Jamie ordered hotel staff to cover their bedroom in rose petals and light fifty candles. He wanted to give her a really romantic night – and it’s fair to say she was impressed,’ a source told
The Mirror
newspaper.

But this such precious ‘alone time’ the pair so desperately desired was short-lived and within hours of touching down in the tropical paradise, the paparazzi were hot on their heels. A day later the first ever photos of Keira in her bikini were splashed across newspapers back at home in the UK.

The chaos didn’t stop when they returned to work, and it was becoming increasingly clear to Jamie’s friends and family that as well as the endless press intrusion, his busy schedule was also starting to suffocate their relationship. Keira was quite clearly in love with Jamie but her greatest passion remained her career. She was now working flat out; with the role of Elizabeth in Jane Austin’s classic
Pride and Prejudice
under her belt, she had signed up for not one but two sequels to
Pirates of the Caribbean
, playing opposite Hollywood legend Johnny Depp. It was revealed that she had been paid a staggering US$12.6 million to reprise her role of Elizabeth Swann and, along with the rest of the crew, she was now deeply embedded on set for the best part of the next year. Keira’s professional life had been moving incredibly fast, placing enormous strain on their long-distance relationship but it wasn’t her career that was going to push them further apart – it was his.

Thanks to the agents Keira had signed him up with, the
rumours were indeed true: Jamie was finally about to realise his childhood dream of being an actor. He had landed his first film role in Sofia Coppola’s film
Marie Antoinette
. The call had seemingly come out of the blue – one minute Jamie was rehearsing with his band, Sons of Jim, at his London flat and the next his agent was telling him that film director Sofia had been on the phone asking if he was free to star in her latest movie.

She had apparently heard about Jamie from a photographer friend in New York, who was convinced that he had all the credentials to become a film star. Astonished by the remarkable offer, Jamie flew to Paris immediately for an afternoon audition and the following day was told he had got the part. The square-jawed model was to play opposite
Spiderman
beauty Kirsten Dunst, as the queen’s lover, Axel von Fersen. It wasn’t a massive role by any means but Jamie was over the moon that his talent had finally been noticed.

Despite being deeply grateful for the chance to prove himself on screen, he was clearly suspicious of the quick casting and was convinced that he had only landed the part because they couldn’t find anyone better. ‘It was the last role cast. I guess there had been pressure to have a certain ilk of actor, some big name from the up-and-coming list, but they hadn’t been able to find someone.’

Although Jamie was dogged with self-doubt, Coppola and the movie’s production team immediately saw he was more than just a pretty face and believed they had found a talented actor in the making. ‘We were very impressed by Jamie’s audition, he definitely has an untapped talent there,’ a production source
told the
Daily Mirror
newspaper. ‘Without giving the movie away to those who don’t know the story, Jamie’s character Hans is an admirer of Marie Antoinette and spends much of the film having his love unrequited.’

Down to earth and self-deprecating, Jamie had his own take on the role of Antoinette’s occasional boy-bangle. ‘I pretty much ride in on a horse, shag her, go to a couple of parties, have some breakfast, and ride out,’ he told a magazine.

There was no doubt that Jamie’s sculpted abs had most likely won him the part but quite sensibly he wasn’t going to complain, as the role would mean getting on the first rung of the acting ladder.

His girlfriend Keira, meanwhile, shared little of his relaxed attitude to the job and, experiencing something of a role reversal, she was reportedly slightly concerned at Jamie’s lengthy and intimate rehearsal time with stunning Kirsten. ‘His character Hans is a courtier and admirer of Marie Antoinette and his love goes unrequited. Keira has made it pretty clear to Jamie that once the cameras stop, he’s all hers! They do have to get pretty up close and personal to be fair,’ a film source revealed.

Meanwhile, getting up close and personal with his real-life lover was proving to be difficult and cracks in his relationship with Keira were starting to appear. They undoubtedly loved each other but there was a hefty list of factors working against them. A trip to Glastonbury Festival was a case in point. Keira had splashed out £3,000 on a Winnebago (type of large luxury camper van) at the Somerset site for what was supposed to be a cosy love-in, with the occasional band thrown in for good measure. The
couple had hoped for a romantic weekend with friends at the legendary music event, which boasted a secluded VIP area to hide in if Keira’s presence in the muddy compound proved too much. The two-day saga seemed to start off well … Keira was caught snogging Jamie in the hospitality area by journalists but seemed remarkably carefree about her exploits, telling a newspaper, ‘I’m loving every minute of the festival. The rain and clouds appear to be following me – we had massive thunderstorms while filming
Pirates Of The Caribbean
. Jamie and I are staying in a Winnebago – you wouldn’t catch me in a tent!’

However, as the press caught wind of the fact Keira and Jamie were mingling with the public in a rare display of openness, the fun, festival atmosphere started to lose its charm for the couple. Photographers were hounding them and snaps began to emerge of the pair walking hand in hand, their heads bowed and faces contorted with stress as they tried to make it across the muddy festival arena without getting in harm’s way. The media interest had become so intrusive that Jamie no longer wanted to leave their camper van. It was depressingly clear that leading a normal life with Keira as his girlfriend was now out of the question.

Remembering that period of time, Keira told
Vogue
magazine in 2012, ‘I literally had no life outside of acting, and I just wanted to go off and not be “on” all the time, not be photographed. I once went to the Glastonbury Music Festival and was completely surrounded by packs of paparazzi the entire time, so I ended up sitting in a trailer, unable to go out.’

When they eventually ventured out to a VIP bash for a friend’s birthday away from the prying eyes of the press, two drunken
partygoers launched themselves onto the pair, determined to make their lives miserable by shining torches in their eyes and mocking Keira’s accent. ‘It was an invitation-only event but somehow these two drunk Danish guys managed to get in. Everyone had been having a great night until they arrived and Keira and Jamie were acting more lovey-dovey than ever,’ a partygoer remembered. ‘For some reason they picked on Keira and seemed hell-bent on getting a reaction. They were taking the p*** out of her voice and being extremely loud and annoying.