Happy Valley star and James Bond favourite James Norton splits with fiancée Imogen Poots

Happy Valley star James Norton and his fiancée, Imogen Poots, have reportedly ended their six-year relationship, with sources suggesting the couple simply drifted apart according to the Daily Mirror.

The actor and the “28 Weeks Later” actress met in 2017 when they both appeared in an adaptation of “War and Peace” and then went on to star in a run of “Belleville” at the Donmar Warehouse, with Norton confirming they were engaged in February 2022, despite the challenge of a long-distance relationship early on, as they balanced their romance between New York and London.

Poots previously opened up about navigating their relationship during an interview with the London Evening Standard, explaining that when they work far apart "It's all I've ever known, I've never known something to fall apart because of distance. Sharing a bathroom, however, is quite another matter!"

However, they have not been seen together for months, with Poots, 34, last seen supporting her fiancé at the opening night of “A Little Life,” the harrowing adaptation of the Hanya Yanagihara novel in which Norton starred, in March 2023. Poots was noticeably absent from all of the premieres of the Bob Marley biopic “One Love” held in Jamaica, LA and London, with the 007 favourite Norton playing record producer Chris Blackwell in the movie, also starring Lashana Lynch and Kingsley Ben-Adir.

Poots has recently been in New Mexico filming the drama “Outer Range” with James Brolin and is now making “Hedda,” a new adaptation of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler by Amazon MGM Studios alongside T​​essa Thompson, Nina Hoss, and Nicholas Pinnock 

Ibsen's Hedda Gabler is a play that tells the story of Hedda Tesman, a newly married woman who feels trapped and frustrated by the societal norms of the late 19th century. In an attempt to assert power and control over her life, she resorts to manipulation and destructive actions. As the plot progresses, the play explores important themes such as the roles of gender and power, as well as the tragic consequences of trying to meet societal expectations.