Emma's rebound romance IT'S STILL LOVE, ACTUALLY!

Her husband was thrown into the arms of another woman, but the actress was certain her second marriage would survive the curse

- Judy Kean

Their relationship raised more than its fair share of eyebrows when it first came to light 26 years ago.

Dame Emma Thompson who had recently split up from husband Kenneth Branagh - was revealed to be dating actor Greg Wise at the end of 1995. She was seven years older than little-known Greg, who'd worked with her on the period drama Sense and Sensibility earlier that year and had only just ended her six-year marriage to Kenneth, touted at the time as the next Sir Laurence Olivier.

Emma and Kenneth, 60, had been a golden couple of British cinema, and her romance with Greg came as a surprise to many people. It was generally assumed theirs was a rebound relationship unlikely to last long. But nearly three decades later, the couple is still together, and extremely happy. Their marriage (they tied the knot in 2003) is so strong that it recently survived the so-called curse of the TV show Strictly Come Dancing.

Greg, 55, took part in the British version of Dancing with the Stars, in which many of the contestants have been plagued by a string of relationship break-ups. Several celebrities have ditched their other halves for their dance partners.

From the moment he was announced as a contestant Emma, 62, was adamant she and Greg wouldn't fall victim to the curse”, joking that her husband and his partner Karen Hauer, 39, wouldn't have the time or stamina to get up to anything other than intensive rehearsing.

Greg - who was the third celebrity voted off - admitted he barely had the energy “to do anything more than a step ball-change.