Hugh Grant was one of the most recognizable celebrities back in the early ’90s and into the ’00s. He had it all: charm, charisma, and an ineffable abundance of British wit.
For most of his life, Hugh never envisioned himself settling down and was a proud bachelor for decades . Now, he’s a happily married father of five, and he believes that meeting the right woman is what changed his views on monogamy .
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Back in the early ’90s and well into the ’00s, Hugh Grant was one of Hollywood’s most revered leading men.
Grant became the poster child for romantic comedies after starring in some of the most iconic films in the history of the genre.
Hugh is best known for his work in ‘Four Weddings And A Funeral’, ‘Notting Hill’, and ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’.
Although if you truly want to experience him at the height of his game, Mickey Blue Eyes is the film to watch. Hugh’s attempt at an Italian accent is side-splittingly hilarious.
His winning smile and boyish charms had his face plastered across the cover of every magazine you can think of.
On top of that, Hugh was given the title of ” Sexiest Man Alive ” multiple times throughout the ’90s and ’00s by People , The Associated Press , and CBS.
However, Hugh’s star power also walked hand-in-hand with controversy.
In 1995, Hugh was caught soliciting sex from a prostitute named Divine Brown. He was arrested in Los Angeles and faced up to six months in jail for his lewd behavior.
To make matters even more complicated, Hugh was involved in a long-term high-profile relationship with Elizabeth Hurley at the time of his arrest.
Elizabeth Hurley was one of the most recognizable sex symbols of the ’90s and is best known for portraying Vanessa Kensington in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery .
In an effort to clean up his image, Hugh quickly embarked on an apology tour.
Hugh gave countless interviews and even made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in order to explain his side of the story. It was here that Jay asked the question that had been on everyone’s mind.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Jay asked.
“I think you know in life, pretty much, what’s a good thing to do and what’s a bad thing to do, and I did a bad thing ,” Hugh replied in earnest.
Hugh and Elizabeth managed to hold things together for five more years before amicably parting ways in 2000.
For the next decade-plus, Hugh was involved in a string of high-profile affairs that included the likes of Sandra Bullock and Drew Barrymore .
In 2016, while giving an interview to Howard Stern on his SiriusXM radio show, Hugh revealed how he didn’t believe in monogamy.
“I can see the lovely aspect if you marry exactly the right person — your best friend and it’s cozy and it’s lovely. But, people make so many mistakes ,” Hugh said.
“Do I think human beings are meant to be in 40-year-long monogamous, faithful, relationships? No, No, No.”
But just two years later, Hugh shocked the world by completely changing his tune, deciding to marry his on-again/off-again girlfriend, Anna Eberstein.
“I was wrong. Well, I was just plain wrong,” he said matter-of-factly to host Chris Evans of ‘The Breakfast Show’.
“And children, you know, I used to roll my eyes. People would say, ‘Oh Hugh you don’t understand it,’ but they were right .”
“It was very nice getting married,” Hugh admitted. “It was another thing I put off too many decades. Very nice. Very nice being married.”
Not only did Hugh do a complete about-face when it came to his ideas on marriage, but the longtime bachelor has also altered his views on fatherhood.
Hugh has gone on to say that being a dad is one of the best things ever to happen to him.
The father of five joked that having kids is what saved him from becoming a scary old Hollywood bachelor .
“I mean, it’s completely knackering trying to be a young father in an old man’s body,” Hugh joked to ‘Daily Mail’s Weekend’ magazine.
“And I’ve found that if you’re 60 and there are five small children in the house, you can’t have a hangover either . But it’s worth it. Absolutely.”
Hugh remarked how some people have spoken about how he’s become a better actor in the past 10 years.
Hugh won’t comment on the subject either way, but he does admit that if it is true — it’s all because of the kids .
