Doctor Who star Alex Kingston has had a tumultuous love life, having been left heartbroken when her first husband Ralph Fiennes had an affair with a woman 18 years his senior
08:00, 01 Nov 2025
Strictly Come Dancing’s Alex Kingston and Joahnnes Radebe(Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing star, Alex Kingston, has experienced a tumultuous romantic journey before discovering happiness with her present husband.
The 62-year-old Doctor Who star is amongst the celebrities taking part in the popular BBC dancing programme.
Alex channelled Dolly Parton for her latest rotuine, as Icons Week returned to the Strictly ballroom.
The ER actor performed a foxtrot, dressed as the country icon, with professional Johannes and was described as “absolutely beautiful” by judge Anton Du Beke.
They finished third place on the leaderboard having bagged an impressive 32 out of a possible 40 points from the judges, as Craig Revel Horwood added: “You maintained your frame throughout, which was adorable, and your musicality is a sensation.”
Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe during Icons week(Image: BBC)
Alex won over Doctor Who enthusiasts with her performance as River Song, featuring during the tenures of David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi on the legendary science fiction programme.
Her small screen work extends to both sides of the Atlantic, including roles in the American hospital drama ER, costume dramas like The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, Arrow and A Discovery of Witches.
Alex has been open about her enthusiasm for Strictly, revealing in 2019: “Sarah Hadland and I talked about how much we’d like to do Strictly Come Dancing. Then I discovered she’s a trained ballet dancer. ‘Hang on a minute! That’s not fair!’ So, I can’t do it on a season when she is on it!”
Beyond her professional life, Alex has endured considerable romantic upheaval. She initially met Oscar-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1983.
The pair married a decade afterwards, but their marriage collapsed catastrophically when Ralph began an affair with a woman 18 years his senior.
Ralph Fiennes and Alex Kingston(Image: NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Looking back on their marriage, Alex previously said: “We were like strangers – very fragile,” according to the Mirror.
“His mother was dying and somehow we thought the wedding was going to heal everything. But that was crazy, of course.”
In 1995, Ralph took on the role of Hamlet at Hackney Empire, acting alongside Francesca Annis who portrayed Gertrude, his character’s mother. Despite their age difference, a romance sparked between them, leading to Ralph leaving his wife Alex and declaring his love for Francesca.
At that time, Ralph was 32 and Francesca was 50. Francesca, who has three children with photographer Patrick Wiseman, reportedly left him for Ralph.
Alex shared her emotional distress following the divorce in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying: “I was feeling worthless, that I would never find anyone else as good as my husband, which is ridiculous, but I had so little self-esteem.”
She added, “Divorce is awful but it is also something I don’t regret happening to me because it has shaped who I am now.”
Strictly Come Dancing stars Alex Kingston Johannes Radebe(Image: BBC)
Ralph and Francesca were together for a decade from 1997 to 2006, and they dismissed any concerns about their age gap. “Of course I don’t spend days agonising over the age difference. How can I? There is nothing I can do about it,” Francesca once said.
She added: “Ralph and I have been together 10 years now so, whatever happens, we have had a very good, different relationship and an interesting time.”
Their relationship came to an end following allegations of infidelity when Romanian singer Corneila Crisan claimed she had been involved in a two-year affair with Ralph.
Following the emergence of these allegations, Ralph and Francesca announced their separation with a statement that read: “Miss Annis confirms today that she and Ralph Fiennes are to separate.”
Ralph’s affair had a devastating effect on Alex, who admitted to considering suicide.
She later tied the knot with German writer Florian Haertel and they welcomed a daughter, Salome, in 2001.
However, the couple parted ways in 2009 and finalised their divorce four years later. Thankfully, Alex has found love once more and is now married to TV presenter Jonathan Stamp, with the couple exchanging vows in Italy in 2015.
