At just the age of 11, Emma Watson cemented her spot in the pop culture zeitgeist due to her role as Hermione Granger, the quick witted and precocious witch in the Harry Potter film franchise. The actress and activist, 31, has made a name for herself since the debut of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. She has gone on to star in other notable film projects, including The Bling Ring, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Women. With a high-profile career comes high-profile relationships, but Emma has made it a point to keep her personal life as far away from the spotlight as possible.
Below, look back at Emma’s past boyfriends and relationships.
Francis Boulle
Emma and Francis, an English diamond heir and entrepreneur who starred in the reality series Made in Chelsea, were briefly linked in 2008. He told Heat in 2011 that he broke things off because he wanted to achieve his “own notoriety,” saying, “I have always been an ambitious person and I want to achieve my own notoriety for what I’ve done. That’s why I chose not to pursue it any longer, because I didn’t want to be the boyfriend of some child actress.” He called Emma a “really cool person.”
Jay Barrymore
Emma and Jay, an English financier, dated between 2008 and 2009. They reportedly split due to the long distance: Emma attended college at Brown University in the States at the time, while Jay lived in the United Kingdom. “The transatlantic gap proved too much for their relationship to survive,” a source told Irish Examiner.
Rafael Cebrián
Emma and Rafael, a Spanish musician and actor, dated between late 2009 and 2010 after meeting at Brown. They were first spotted at the hockey game between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers in New York in November 2009.
George Craig
Emma and George, an English singer and model, were briefly linked in 2010. They met on set of a Burberry campaign. The Harry Potter actress even starred in the music video for his band, One Night Only, for the song “Say You Don’t Want It” that year.
Johnny Simmons
Emma and Johnny, an American actor who starred opposite the actress in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, briefly dated in 2011, a year before the film came out. The two were spotted kissing outside of restaurant in Santa Monica in August of that year. “They have really fallen for one another and both aren’t dating anyone else,” a source told Hollywood Life at the time.
Will Adamowicz
Emma and Will, a fellow student she met when she attended the University of Oxford in England, dated between late 2011 and 2013. They were first spotted kissing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2012. The actress’ rep confirmed to multiple outlets in 2014 that they called it quits and were “no longer in touch.”
Matthew Janney
Emma and Matthew, a fellow student at Oxford and rugby player, dated for nearly a year in 2014. In the September 2015 issue of British Vogue, Emma called the split “horrendous,” revealing she went on a weeklong silent retreat to figure out how to be single. “I felt really uncomfortable,” she said. “Even before my relationship ended, I went on a silent retreat, because I really wanted to figure out how to be at home with myself.”
Roberto Aguire
Emma and Roberto, an actor known for his roles in Pretty Little Liars and NCIS: New Orleans, were briefly linked in 2015. The longtime friends met on set of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where Roberto interned in the special effects department, he previously revealed to JustJared. He called Emma “one of my best friends.”
William “Mack” Knight
Emma and William, a tech entrepreneur who worked in Silicon Valley, dated between 2015 and 2017, keeping the relationship low key. In her March 2017 cover story for Vanity Fair, Emma explained why she wouldn’t speak publicly about her boyfriend. “I want to be consistent: I can’t talk about my boyfriend in an interview and then expect people not to take paparazzi pictures of me walking around outside my home,” she said. “You can’t have it both ways. I’ve noticed, in Hollywood, who you’re dating gets tied up into your film promotion and becomes part of the performance and the circus. I would hate anyone that I were with to feel like they were in any way part of a show or an act.”
Chord Overstreet
Emma and Chord, an American actor best known for his role in Glee, briefly dated in 2018 for about six months. The two were spotted around Los Angeles a few times together during their courtship, holding hands and attending a concert together.
Brendan Wallace
Emma and Brandon, a tech CEO, were briefly linked in late 2018. The two were spotted kissing in Mexico. The split came some time before late 2019: Emma covered the December 2019 issue of British Vogue and said she was “very happy” being single. “I call it being self-partnered,” she said.
Leo Robinton
Emma and Leo, a Los Angeles-based businessman, have been dating since fall 2019. The two were spotted kissing outside of a bakery in London. Daily Mail reported in April 2020 that the two were “very serious,” adding that the businessman has met Emma’s parents. The couple even sparked engagement rumors in early 2021, prompting Emma to shut down the chatter on Twitter in May. Emma called rumors of an engagement and her retirement “untrue,” writing, “If I have news – I promise I’ll share it with you.”
Brandon Green
Brandon, the son of fashion businessman Sir Phillip Green, reportedly began dating Emma around September 2021. It was around that time that they were spotted enjoying a helicopter trip in London, and romance rumors began to fly.
Sometime in 2023, Emma and Brandon broke up. True to herself, Emma is fiercely private about her love life.
Kieran Brown
Emma met Kieran while she was studying creative writing in England. They were first seen in photos in July 2024. According to The Sun, Kieran was pursuing a PhD in 19th century literature and economics.
In 2025, however, it appears that Emma’s romance with Kieran fizzled out when she was spotted kissing another man, according to multiple outlets.
