Who is Matt Smith’s wife? His love life and relationship history

Matt Smith’s role as Daemon Targaryen in HBO’s House of the Dragon has made him a global superstar, with fans and critics praising his portrayal of the mercurial character. Smith’s love life on-screen is somewhat controversial – Daemon murdered a wife he had no interest in, lied that he’d wed a foreign sex worker, and eventually married his niece. 

No wonder Smith complained that the sex scenes he was involved in too many sex scenes while filming House of the Dragon. “You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?'” Smith told Rolling Stone U.K. “And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we do.'”

Smith’s love life is a lot less low-key than his character’s. Matt Smith is not married but is reportedly in a relationship. 

Smith and Caroline Brady were linked in May 2021. Brady is the first person Matt has publicly dated who’s not a celebrity – she is a business executive at Black Rock, an investment management company. 

Caroline has ties to the entertainment industry through her sister, Millie Brady, who starred alongside Matt in the 2016 film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Millie has also appeared in Surface, The Queen’s Gambit, and The Last Kingdom. 

Reports claim that Millie introduced Smith to Caroline, sparking the couple’s relationship. If the reports are accurate, Smith and Brady have done brilliantly to keep their romance away from the limelight. 

They haven’t confirmed their relationship via social media or made public appearances together. For instance, Caroline was absent during the red carpet premiere of House of the Dragon. 

Throughout his career, Matt Smith has kept the details about his relationships secret. However, he has expressed his desire to start a family. Matt told Esquire: “I do think that’s what life is all about in the end. Children. Making a family. You know, when you’re dead, and you’re on the slab, that’s what’ll count.”

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Matt Smith’s last confirmed relationship was with movie star Lily James, star of Darkest Hour, Baby Driver, and War and Peace. The couple met on the set of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in 2014. 

After appearing flirty at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014, rumors claiming the couple were an item started circulating. Smith avoided questions about the rumored relationship, telling the Scottish Daily News that James was a friend. “We hang out a lot… get on really well as we have a lot in common,” Smith said. 

Despite their refusal to confirm the romance, the couple’s numerous public appearances affirmed they were dating. Smith and James rarely spoke to the press about their relationship, preferring to keep the intimate details of their romance secret. 

In a rare moment of openness, Lily James told The Sunday Times she’d considered marrying Matt. “I’ve gone through different phases of wanting and not wanting to get married,” James said. “I don’t know where I sit with it now. What matters is the relationship and how you feel about each other.”

However, shortly after that interview, reports about Matt and James’ split surfaced. “Things haven’t been right for a while, and a few months ago they decided to finally end it properly,” a source told The Sun. The outlet reported that Lily seemed ‘visibly shaken’ during that year’s British Independent Film Awards. 

Unsubstantiated rumors alleged that Smith’s close relationships with female co-stars had contributed to the split. Some outlets reported that Matt and his The Crown co-star Claire Foy had a fling. 

In 2020, The Daily Mail reported that the quarantine period had helped Matt and Lily patch their relationship, but they’d decided to remain friends. A source speaking to the outlet said:

“They [Lily and Matt] have gone back and forth this year trying to sort things out between them because they both have so much love for each other. But unfortunately it just isn’t working and they have mutually decided to just close this chapter of their lives.”

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Matt and fashion model Daisy Lowe started dating in 2010. “She’s a pretty lady,” Matt told The Guardian. “Oh, I don’t know. Someone lovely with a good heart who enjoys things I enjoy… who plays the guitar.”

Lowe and Smith broke up for the first time in November 2011, reportedly due to their hectic work schedules. “It’s been hard for them to find time together,” a source told reporters. 

The source also suggested Matt’s doubts about a long-term commitment to Lowe contributed to the split. “Whenever engagement and marriage was mentioned he was uncomfortable,” the source said. “He’s still a young man and the thought of being tied down was a lot to digest.”

Matt and Lowe got back together before splitting for good in 2014. Shortly after the breakup, hackers leaked the couple’s sexually explicit photos. The hackers targeted over 100 celebrities, invading their personal iCloud accounts and distributing the content online. 

The pair didn’t address the leak, but Jennifer Lawrence, a high-profile victim of the privacy invasion, did. She told Vanity Fair:

“It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime. It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting. The law needs to be changed, and we need to change. That’s why these websites are responsible.”

Smith’s first public relationship was with Brazilian actress Mayana Moura, whom he dated from 2008 to 2009. 

The duo called it quits in July 2009 because the demanding schedules prevented them from seeing each other. Furthermore, the long-distance nature of the couple’s relationship complicated issues. 

At the time, Matt lived in London, and Moura resided in New York and Rio de Janeiro. “It’s a nightmare because she’s 6,000 miles away,” Matt admitted. A source told The Daily Mail: “Matt and Mayana adore each other, but the timing was not right and the relationship just ran its course.”

Smith prioritized his career over the relationship: he saw his casting as the Doctor in Doctor Who as integral to his career. “This job means the world to him,” the source said.