To want to know why Imogen Poots broke up with James Norton

[ThatNimblePeer]

Obviously absolutely none of my business, but I don’t think anyone in my real life knows who these people are, so I’m sharing it here in case anyone shares my mini obsession.

Imogen Poots is a gorgeous 35 year old British actress who was engaged to James Norton (I’m guessing I don’t need to explain here who he is), they broke up in the last year or so and he’s indicated in interviews that it wasn’t his choice.

She’s suggested in past interviews that she wants children (which JN has also said he does). Definitely none of my business - but honestly if you were a 35 year old woman who wants kids and you were engaged to JAMES NORTON, would you break up with him?

I know AIBU.

Can't wait!

Just been announced... looks good!

he is currently talking on PM on radio 4 about his new Battle of Hastings TV series. King and Conqueror
swoon, he talks so well,
i keep rewinding to hear him again

Ooooh just a few more days - I’ve already warned the kids!

He's on the One Show now 🤓

Haha what have you warned them? That you’ll be taking control of the remote whenever anything with James in it is on?

Exactly that @ThatNimblePeer !!!

A friend of mine has met him and said he was lovely.. really chatty and polite. Maybe he was having a good day 😂

Can't be bothered to read entire thread - could someone who's followed thread kindly give me a summary of why they split?! Thanks!

13 pages later we still don’t really know tbh. Imogen hasn’t commented, and James has said very little other than that it was her choice not his.

If I had to take a guess, I’d note the interview he did with Grace Dent a while back where he mentioned they were on opposite ends of the spectrum re extroversion/introversion - he’d be partying with friends into the night and she’d have gone up to bed and be banging on the floor wanting people to go home.

It also may have just been distance, his career is mainly in the UK and he seems to like living in London, she seems more interested in exploring options in the States and supposedly had New York as her base.

But, basically, we don’t know. I’m just glad that he recently put to rest the idea that it had been because he got too wrapped up in doing ‘A Little Life’ (which he did seem to suggest in his first interview about the split). Because supposedly she had been the one to read the book and suggest he do the role in the first place. And I thought it would be pretty harsh to urge your partner on to do a role as demanding as that and then dump them because it affected them more than they expected.

Tbh, watching ‘King and Conqueror’, I understand IP’s decision less than ever

Oooh I loved King and Conqueror - it’s a sad story though, I suppose that’s why it hasn’t been made before. The end of Wessex - mind you I’ve got one or two episodes left - it looks as though at least some of Harold’s kids got away…

Watched the first episode of King and Conqueror, and was distinctly underwhelmed. That weedy moustache on Nikolaj Costar-Waldau. Why?
And everything so poorly lit. I guess that's why it's called The Dark Ages.

I found the sound quality bad on some of it, didn’t catch what they were saying but they did steer a midway between a men in tights caper and adding some entertaining drama….

i thought the dark settings were authentic, but then anything with JN in it gets a sympathetic watch!

It's also a bit historically confusing, because Edward the Confessor's wife was not called Edith. They changed it so as to not have two Ediths. Among other things.
But I should go to the separate thread for this.

I was thinking I should head over to tellyaddicts - I didn’t like the portrayal of Edward and his mum much either - the beating to death thing.

Here you go MN!

The latest on our James ...

// James Norton Article : Hello! : 26. Sept '25

HTH

x

I didn't quite catch that @YesTonightJosephine , would you mind repeating it 😂

Errrrr ... not quite sure what has happened there!

I will report myself ... tinternet is having a moment!

😂😂😂

A thousand apologies!

I am not quite sure what happened at 16:26!

I have reported myself to MN HQ so hopefully they will delete my double/triple postings ...

What a muppet!

HAHA! It's definitely this. My MIL was an extra on a show he was on (not happy valley) and raved about how nice and lovely he was. I had recently watched Happy Valley and got excited that she meant him making it obvious I fancied him and she was shocked that I'd be interested. IRL he's not giving off the hunky vibes

New interview with Imogen, although she says virtually nothing about the split and doesn’t say whether she’s with anyone new (but she does say in relation to a fictional situation that ‘there can be pressure to stay with the wrong person’):

www.tatler.com/article/imogen-poots-actress-star-cover-november-2025