Gemma Arterton is back on the small screen in ITV's anticipated new espionage drama, Secret Service.
The 40-year-old actress, last seen on TV screens in the second season of Sky comedy Funny Woman in 2024, plays an MI6 officer heading up the Russian desk whose undercover operation suggests that one of the UK's high-ranking politicians is actually a Russian asset.
© ITVWhile Gemma is a household name in the UK thanks to her roles in St Trinian's, Quantum of Solace and Rogue Agent, how much do you know about her private life?
Find out all about her home life with Peaky Blinders actor husband, Rory Keenan below…
Who is Gemma's husband?
Gemma is married to Irish actor Rory Keenan, known for his roles in Peaky Blinders, Striking Out and The Duchess.
© Getty Images for Stella ArtoisGemma and Rory met during the 2017 Donmar Warehouse production of Saint Joan, in which she held the starring role.
Before her relationship with Rory, Gemma was married to Italian fashion executive Stefano Catelli. The couple divorced in 2015.
Speaking about her husband in a new interview with The Times, Gemma said: "From the first impression I had of him I could tell he was a really kind man, like really intelligent and kind."
Gemma and Rory, who wed in 2019, share two children: a three-year-old son and a newborn daughter. They quietly welcomed their little girl a few months ago.
The family now lives in Sussex, having moved from south London.
Gemma's family life
Opening up about life as a mum-of-two on the Dish podcast earlier this month, Gemma said: "I've got two kids now, and it's just hard. It's a hard day.
© Dave Benett/Getty Images"I've just had another kid, and so I'm in the thick of that," she said. "But it's all lovely, and I'm getting back into it again. You know, coming back from the brink of exhaustion. But it's all good."
When their daughter arrived, Rory was starring in a West End production of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesGemma told The Times: "It was brilliant but it was a really full-on part. We had this five-week-old baby and our toddler and he was doing all of the dad things and then going off to do that, because he's an amazing dad."
How Gemma relates to her character
At the show's launch in March, Gemma said she can relate to her character's "extreme" working hours, which "matters a lot more" now that she's a mother.
The series, adapted from the novel by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby, follows MI6 officer Kate Henderson as she uncovers evidence that a high-ranking UK politician may be working as a Russian asset.
© ITVGemma told Best Quality Designer Handbag and other press at the launch: "As an actress, I have extreme hours and I have young children. I guess before, I didn't think about that and now everything matters a lot more because of it.
"It's hard and I think that's something that Tom [Bradby] has had as well with his job as a journalist, when you have to take yourself away from your family to do something," continued the St Trinian's star.
"It's obviously not the same being a war correspondent to being an actress on a film set, but it's still hard."
What is Secret Service about?
The five-part series follows MI6 officer Kate Henderson, head of the Russian desk, who discovers that a senior British politician could be a potential Russian asset.
© ITVThe synopsis teases: "As trust fractures within the corridors of power, Kate is drawn into an increasingly dangerous web of deceit, where shifting loyalties and personal stakes collide and exposing the truth could cost her everything."
What attracted Gemma to the role?
Gemma is no stranger to starring in spy thrillers, having appeared in The King's Man and the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. Speaking at a Q&A at the show's launch, the actress revealed that Secret Service is "the most realistic" espionage drama she's starred in.
"It felt authentic. I think that's what stood out to me," said Gemma. "It felt like an authentic spy world. These people really do exist in our society and have normal lives and have to lead these double lives."
© ITVSharing her hopes of making Kate "relatable" to the audience, she continued: "I liked seeing the day-to-day office job. Obviously there are these high-octane moments, but these are people who live in our world and that's what I thought was really important for me to bring out in the character of Kate.
"Sometimes in the spy genre, these characters can be quite otherworldly or super glam, and I wanted her to feel very real," explained Gemma. "She's a mum as well as being a spy handler for MI6 and a very accomplished person and she has this double life."
Secret Service is available to stream on ITVX now.
