Who Is Tom Ellis' Ex-Wife Tamzin Outhwaite? Inside Their Split, Cheating Claims, Life After Divorce

Tom Ellis, best known for his breakout role as the devilishly charming ‘Lucifer Morningstar’ from the beloved Netflix series Lucifer, has grabbed the limelight once again. Recently, the 46-year-old star was spotted on the streets of New York City alongside Chicago Med alum Nick Gehlfuss, in the middle of filming CIA, CBS’s highly anticipated spinoff of the FBI franchise. Fans are already intrigued by the unlikely pairing of this on-screen duo.

Originally planned for Fall 2025, the series is now slated for a release somewhere around the middle of 2026, following Ellis as a rule-breaking CIA case officer. However, beyond acting, the actor has been making headlines for the past few months over his relationship with his first wife, Tamzin Outhwaite. Before his current wife, Meaghan Oppenheimer, Ellis was married to the British actress for years before the marriage ended on a bitter note.

Both Ellis and Outhwaite have used podcasts in recent months to reflect on their past, sharing unfiltered insights into their marriage, which had become tainted with cheating allegations, treason, and profound heartbreak.

Meet Tom Ellis’s first wife, Tamzin Outhwaite

Before marrying American screenwriter Meaghan Oppenheimer in 2019, Tom Ellis was married to British actress Tamzin Outhwaite, best known for her role as ‘Mel Owen’ in EastEnders. They met in the early 2000s through fellow actor James McAvoy, and the pair tied the knot in 2006. 

For years, the Welsh actor and the British actress remained a much-celebrated couple on the UK entertainment scene, often admired for their glamorous presence and quiet family life. The couple share two daughters, Florence (now Flo, 17) and Maine (12).

After seven years of marital bliss, the marriage ended on a painful note in 2013, after Ellis allegedly confessed to a one-night affair with Australian actress Emilie de Ravin while working in the U.S. Their divorce was finalised in 2014. A spokesperson had announced their split, stating:

"Tamzin Outhwaite and Tom Ellis are sad to confirm they have separated. They continue to support each other as parents and will remain friends. They ask for sensitivity at this difficult time."

Did Tom Ellis cheat on Outwaite with multiple women?

While Tom confessed to his fling with de Ravin in 2013, Outwaite’s accounts after the divorce suggested there was more to the story. In interviews and social media posts, the actress implied that she was not someone who would end a marriage based on a one-night stand, hinting at other lies and betrayals that came to light after their split. Not long after the divorce, Tamzin was heard saying:

“I wouldn’t not be with my husband over a one-night stand, is all I’ll say.”

While Ellis remained relatively quiet publicly, Outhwaite was more forthright. Over the years, she has spoken about feeling abandoned when the Lucifer star ‘walked out’ on her and their young children. Even a decade after the split, the rawness of the pain became evident when, in a now-deleted 2023 post on X, the Bull actress wrote:

“Ten years since the father of my kids walked out on us for the final time. I still meet new people on jobs who reveal more infidelities and lies he committed. But thankfully, my heart and soul are clear and clean, and I could not be happier right now.”

Tom Ellis says he has ‘no regrets’ about his split from Tamzin Outhwaite

For over a decade since their separation, Tom Ellis has remained tight-lipped about the split, until now. Recently, the actor addressed the breakdown of his marriage with Tamzin Outhwaite, admitting that every decision he made in the past had a reason behind it, and he doesn’t regret it. Speaking on the How To Fail podcast, Ellis remarked:

"It's easy to say you regret things, but actually, no, I don't regret anything. Every time I made a choice or decided something, that's how I was feeling at the time; I wasn't pretending. I went into everything with great intentions."

A shift towards acceptance, healing, and co-parenting

In 2024, Tamzin reshared a photo Ellis posted from the premiere of The Thursday Murder Club, where he walked the red carpet with their daughters. Unlike her 2023 post, the actress seems to have become more accepting of the reality, as she cheered for her and Ellis’s daughters as he celebrated his achievement. The post’s caption reads:

“My heart is bursting #suchaproudmama”

In September 2025, days before Tom Ellis’s appearance on the How To Fail podcast, Tamzin offered some candid insights about her life with her two children behind the scenes with her ex-husband. Even though she had not been on the best of terms with the Tell Me Lies star in the years following the divorce, the former couple has reconciled and is ready to put their past behind them.

Speaking about Tom’s presence in their kids’ lives, Outhwaite revealed that the actor, who lives in Los Angeles now, has been ‘in and out’ of their lives. She went on to detail her life now, including the difficulty of co-parenting with him and the pride she feels in how far she and her family have come. Speaking to Josh Widdicombe in the Parenting Hell podcast about co-parenting with Tom, Tamzin shared:

"He lives in LA. So he's pretty in and out of their lives, but they have a lot of support and people that have been around."

Life after divorce

In the years following their separation, both Tom and Tamzin have forged new paths. Ellis earned breakout fame after starring in Netflix’s 2016 supernatural drama Lucifer, and he has not looked back. Tom has since starred in popular shows like Tell Me Lies and The Thursday Murder Club, and now, CIA. 

Ellis is now married to screenwriter Meaghan Oppenheimer, whom he wed in 2019. The couple shares a loving chemistry and welcomed a daughter, Dolly Ellis-Oppenheimer, via surrogacy in 2023. Ellis has often credited Oppenheimer with grounding him and helping him embrace honesty about his imperfections.

Meanwhile, Tamzin Outhwaite has been seen in dramas like The Tower and The Wives, as she navigated some personal milestones. Years after her divorce from Ellis, Tamzin got into a serious relationship with a much younger partner, Tom Child, but they broke up after six years in 2023. She reportedly remains on good terms with Child, and insiders claim their chemistry is still very much evident.

While the shadow of their divorce lingers, both Ellis and Outhwaite appear to be turning the page. Tamzin has been enjoying her independence as a single mom with her kids, whereas Ellis is balancing fatherhood with a promising career ahead.

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