Anna Friel revealed she was left “distraught” after being dumped by her first boyfriend, Darren Day, following a three-year relationship.
The couple started dating in 1994 while Anna, 49, was starring on Brookside. Darren, 57, even proposed to her with a £30,000 engagement ring.
Just two weeks after their split, Darren began dating Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw and went on to propose to her with the same ring he had bought for Anna.
In an interview with The Sunday Times Style Magazine, Anna Friel revealed that her biggest regret following her split from Darren Day was leaving behind a large part of her clothing collection. She later learned that her ex had thrown everything away when she went to collect it.
Anna shared, “I had the best 1990s capsule wardrobe, and when I split up with my first boyfriend, Darren Day, I was so distraught, I grabbed the essentials and left my whole wardrobe there, including an incredible Afghan coat from the Kings Road.”
She added, “I remember years later calling to ask for my clothes back and he’d ditched them all.”
Anna Friel later married actor David Thewlis, with whom she shares a 20-year-old daughter, Gracie. However, they separated in 2010. In 2011, she married Notting Hill star Rhys Ifans, but the couple parted ways in 2014.
Meanwhile, Darren has also found love, marrying actress Stephanie Dooley in 2010. They divorced nine years later.
Darren previously shared a surprising story about Robbie Williams trying to steal Anna away while they were dating. Speaking in the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2016, Darren recalled, “He phoned my house one day, I picked it up and a guy said, ‘Hi, it’s Derrick from Go Discs. Can I speak to Anna please?'”
Darren passed the phone to Anna, who spoke to Robbie for about 10 minutes. He noticed she looked uncomfortable and later learned Robbie had asked her out, which he found incredibly cheeky.
As for Anna’s daughter, Gracie, who grew up surrounded by the world of acting, Anna made it clear that Gracie is less likely to follow in her footsteps. In 2020, she told Daily Mail that Gracie doesn’t want to be an actor. “She loves the creative world, but she’s more into her music,” Anna explained, noting that Gracie had been surrounded by acting her whole life but preferred a different creative path.
Anna Friel shared that playing guitar has become her daughter Gracie’s escape, and Gracie maintains a positive attitude, saying, “It’s your job and you get paid for it. I’ve got great parents.” Anna added that Gracie is very good at staying optimistic.
Reflecting on their close bond, Anna said in 2020, “It has basically been the two of us since Gracie was five, so we’re a little unit. During the third year of her life, she went to ten countries. Everywhere I go, I take her.”
The mother and daughter duo have traveled the world together for movies, TV projects, and charity work. However, Gracie decided to pause their adventures during the pandemic to focus on her school studies. Anna explained, “Gracie said, ‘That’s our last year of travelling.’ She’s doing an international baccalaureate and she just can’t be moving schools. It means that when I go away, I’ll be without her.”