Film director Richard Curtis secretly marries partner Emma Freud after 33 years together and two failed proposals

AFTER 33 years together it seems Richard Curtis has finally found Love…Actually.

The acclaimed film director, who is the brains behind hit rom-coms including Notting Hill and Four Weddings And A Funeral, has got his happily ever after, by secretly marrying his long-time partner Emma Freud.

Emma, who started dating Richard in the nineties, let slip about their wedding at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival in Gloucestershire while interviewing Richard E. Grant.

Love Actually boss Richard, who was also at the event, was pictured with a gold band on his wedding ring finger.

An onlooker said: “Emma confessed she had finally got hitched while interviewing Richard E. Grant.

“She said they’d been married for four weeks.”

As soon as it came out of her mouth though it was clear she wasn’t meant to have said anything, as she put her finger to her lips and made a funny noise which made everyone laugh.

“It’s not surprising Emma wanted to talk about it though.

“They’ve been together for over 30 years so it was about time they got married.”

She tried to change the subject but it was the talk of the festival.

Richard had a ring on too and kept fiddling with it.

Emma previously proposed to Richard twice but neither attempt was successful, after he refused the first time around and slept through the second.

Thankfully for Emma, the third time was clearly a charm.

During their appearance at the festival this weekend, Richard was quizzed by their daughter Scarlett about criticisms he’d received about the treatment of women in some of his most famous films, including Bridget Jones’ Diary and Love Actually.

Scarlett also raised the lack of diversity in his 1999 hit Notting Hill.

Admitting he regretted parts of his works, Richard said: “I wish I’d been ahead of the curve.”

He added: “I think because I came from a very un-diverse school and bunch of university friends, I think that I hung on to the feeling that I wouldn’t know how to write those parts.

“I think I was just stupid and wrong about that.

“I felt as though me, my casting director, my producers just didn’t look outwards.”