By Miranda Thompson
Even the biggest names get by with a little help from their famous flame-fanning friends…
THE COUPLE Liam Payne and Cheryl
THE CUPIDS Niall Horan and Simon Cowell
THE SETUP… One Direction singer Liam recently revealed that bandmate Niall and ex-boss Simon were behind his romance with Cheryl, now the mother of their baby Bear. ‘Niall came up to me and said, “You’ll never guess who’s got a crush on you.” And I was like, “Who?” He said, “Cheryl.” Niall hooked it up – and Simon kind of half hooked it up.’
THE COUPLE Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
THE COUPLE Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux
THE CUPID Robert Downey Jr
THE SETUP… Jen and Justin met four years before they began dating in 2011 (and married in 2015). Fellow actor Robert Downey Jr introduced them in 2007: ‘He and Jen fell in love some time later in a real, legit fashion,’ says Robert.
THE COUPLE Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden
THE CUPID Nicole Richie
THE SETUP… Nicole, who is married to singer Benji’s twin brother Joel, admitted she was fully responsible for setting up her brother-in-law with actress Cameron. ‘I approve of anything that’s going to make Benji happy,’ she said. The couple married in 2015 after a 17-day engagement.
THE COUPLE Frank and Christine Lampard
THE CUPID Piers Morgan
THE SETUP… Frank and Christine aren’t the first couple to have been paired off by Piers at the Pride of Britain Awards – he also once matched up Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. On seeing Christine at the event in 2009, ‘Frank’s eyes lit up like Sydney’s New Year fireworks,’ remembers Piers, before he took him over to say hello.
THE COUPLE Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn
THE CUPID Emma Stone
THE SETUP… Swift ‘squad’ member Emma paired up-and-coming British actor Joe with her chum Taylor after meeting him on the set of period film The Favourite in Hertfordshire earlier this year. A friend said of the match: ‘Emma thought he would be perfect for Taylor.’
THE COUPLE Emily Blunt and John Krasinski
THE CUPID Anne Hathaway
THE SETUP… Anne, who starred alongside Emily in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, introduced her to actor John in 2008. Of their first meeting, he remembers: ‘It’s one of those things where as soon as you meet someone, you know.’ The couple married two years later and now have two daughters, Hazel, three, and Violet, one.
THE COUPLE Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt
THE CUPID Emily Blunt
THE SETUP… When it comes to love, The Devil Wears Prada has a lot to answer for. Emily introduced her literary agent sister Felicity to co-star Stanley at her and John Krasinski’s Italian wedding. ‘She just thought they’d hit it off,’ a friend said – and they did, bonding over their shared love of good food and publishing a family cookbook together two years after they got married in August 2012.
