Elliot Hegarty’s wife is reportedly “heartbroken” after photos of the TV director kissing Fearne Cotton surfaced online.
The images, taken last week and obtained by multiple outlets, come just three months after Cotton’s split from husband Jesse Wood and appear to show her and Hegarty on a dinner date in Soho.
Sources claim the pair were introduced by mutual friend Gok Wan, with their long-standing friendship turning romantic following the end of their respective marriages.
The insider told The Sun: “Fearne and Elliot have known each other for a while. When their marriages ended, their friendship developed into romance.
“They have been seeing each other since January.”
However, the relationship has reportedly come as a complete shock to Hegarty’s wife Laura, who was allegedly blindsided when she saw the pictures.
A source close to her told MailOnline: “Laura is totally shocked and devastated because she only knew about Elliot being with Fearne when she saw the pictures all over the media. Imagine finding out that your husband’s moved on so quickly like that?
“She’s already going through a difficult time, and this has just added to her heartbreak. It wasn’t an easy split because there are also children involved. These pictures have not helped matters.”
Another friend revealed to the outlet: “Pictures of Elliot and Fearne kissing have been plastered all over the media and that’s the first Laura or any of us knew about it. It’s an awful way for her to find out and it has been quite ghastly for her.
“They’ve tried to keep good relations for the sake of the kids, but I fear that things could now get a bit awkward between them.”
Cotton announced her split from Wood in December after 10 years of marriage.
Posting a statement on Instagram Stories, the 43-year-old penned at the time: “It is with a heavy heart that I let you all know that Jesse and I are ending our marriage.
“Our priority has been and always will be our children. We please ask that you respect the privacy of our family at this time.”
The couple are parents to son Rex, 11, and eight-year-old daughter Honey, while Cotton is also step-mum to Wood’s children Arthur, 21, and Lola, 18, from his first marriage.
Cotton and 48-year-old musician Wood - who is the son of Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood - first met in 2011 after meeting while partying in Ibiza, the year that the guitarist split from his first wife Tilly Wood following eight years of marriage.
They then tied the knot in 2014 in a star-studded ceremony in London.
Hegarty, known for directing Ted Lasso, Rivals on Disney+, and Bad Education, reportedly split from his wife Laura, the mother of his three children, on Boxing Day, according to The Sun.
The Standard has reached out to Fearne Cotton and Elliot Hegarty’s reps for comment.
