Who Is Talulah Riley, The Woman Elon Musk Married And Divorced Twice?
Elon Musk's relationship with musician Grimes is still making headlines despite their breakup in 2021.The two have been together on and off for years, which seems to follow a somewhat similar pattern to his relationship with Talulah Riley. Musk walked down the aisle with the English actress not once but twice, leaving fans wondering what was going on.
The SpaceX founder started dating Riley in 2008 shortly after his split from book author Justine Wilson, with whom he has five children. Musk and Riley met at a bar in London and tied the knot in 2010. They parted ways two years later, remarried in 2013, and filed for divorce again in 2016. "Obviously, I understand it looks strange. But that logic made sense at the time," Riley confessed to The Independent.
Musk's second ex-wife is an English actress and novelist. Over the years, she starred in "Pride & Prejudice," "The Knot," "Bloodshot," and other movies. Riley also had small roles in "Doctor Who," "Poirot: Five Little Pigs," and "Westworld," and graced the cover of "Esquire" in 2010. Her life story is just as interesting as her relationship with the Tesla billionaire.
Talulah Riley studied to become a scientist but made a career in acting
Talulah Riley was born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1985. Her mother, Una Riley, was an entrepreneur, while her father, Doug Milburn, led the U.K.'s National Crime Squad and later became a screenwriter. Although she loved acting, it was more of a hobby. As she was preparing to go to college, she decided to call it quits and become a full-time actress.
The young star moved to London to follow her dreams. Meanwhile, she began studying natural sciences at the Open University. This is when she met Elon Musk, who she got engaged to 10 days after their first date. "Then there he was, smiling this very big smile and talking about colonizing Mars," Riley recalled in an interview with This is London. "I did think he was a little bit insane that first night. In a wonderful way," she added.
Musk was 15 years older than Riley, but their age gap didn't seem to matter. "You've been picked up by a playboy," said Riley's father after hearing about their date night. However, they got engaged 10 days after their first date — and the rest is history. The "St. Trinian's" star moved to L.A., quit school, and later began studying physics at Caltech. But her new life turned out to be different than she expected, forcing her to take a break from acting.
Her relationship with Elon Musk was anything but ordinary
The "Pride & Prejudice" actress was a 22-year-old virgin at the time she met her future husband. Consequently, she knew nothing about living with a partner or raising kids. "I moved straight into the home with all the children, and it became a very real thing immediately," Talulah Riley confessed in the documentary "The Elon Musk Show." She added, "Essentially, our home life was work. We were focused on the companies and the children."
Riley admitted that she was excited about the whole thing, though she had to put her career on hold. "It makes me feel domestic and happy," she said in her interview with This is London. The actress was head over heels for her husband and enjoyed pampering him. Sadly, their romance didn't last long. In 2012, Elon Musk told Forbes that he fell out of love. "I still love her, but I'm not in love with her. And I can't really give her what she wants."
The two filed for divorce and remarried a year later, but parted ways again in 2016. Riley and Musk remained friends and were still in touch when he acquired Twitter. Meanwhile, they rebuilt their lives separately. Musk had a short relationship with actress Amber Heard and later with Grimes, while Riley got involved with Thomas Brodie-Sangster. The "Pistol" star and her boyfriend announced their engagement in 2023 after dating for two years.