Presumed Innocent star Ruth Negga: from famous fiance to relationship status

Ruth Negga in Presumed Innocent
Ruth Negga in Presumed Innocent

Ruth Negga is an incredibly talent actress, and we can’t wait to see her in action in the new Apple TV+ show, Presumed Innocent. The Irish-Ethiopian actress, who has previously starred in shows including Preacher and Misfits, has a hugely prolific career, but what do you know about her life away from the cameras? Find out more here…

Who is Ruth currently dating?

Ruth keeps her private life very close to her chest, and despite having a thriving Instagram account, the actress rarely shares snaps of her private life and has yet to share a photo of any current relationships - so watch this space!

A recent snap of Ruth Negga on Instagram
A recent snap of Ruth Negga on Instagram

Ruth’s famous ex-fiance

Ruth was previously in a relationship with Tadhg Murphy, 45, after the pair met while studying drama at Trinity College Dublin. They got engaged in 2006 before breaking things off. While the pair haven’t gone into many details about what caused the split, Tadhg is full of praise for Ruth, and wished her well after she received an Oscar nomination for the movie Loving.

Tadhg Murphy as Gary in Brassic
Tadhg Murphy as Gary in Brassic (Sky UK / Ben Blackall)

He told the Irish Independent: “Ruth is amazing, she is [expletive] phenomenal and I was over the moon when I heard she had been nominated. She so deserves it. She is an incredible actress.”

Tadhg is also an actor, and most recently starred in the Disney+ show Shardlake as well as BBC’s The English. He is known for having an artificial right eye, which he often incorporates into his roles, including Black Sails and Vikings. The injury is due to losing an eye as a teenage after an accident while playing with a bow. He told The Irish World: “I lost my eye when I was 13.

Tadhg Murphy in Black Sails
Tadhg Murphy in Black Sails (David Bloomer)

“I had an accident and it was around that time I decided, ‘You know, let’s say if my life had ended- I was only 13 years old, you know what I mean?-  I just thought, ‘I’d love to be an actor’. So I wanted to be an actor and musician. So I did the two things for a while. I was in a band for a bit and then acting just took over, you know?”

Tadhg is now married to writer and director Anna Sheils-McNamee, and the pair share a baby son, Rian.

Relationship with Mamma Mia star Dominic Cooper

Ruth was in a relationship with British actor Dominic, who was also her co-star in the hit series Preacher, from 2010 to 2016. The pair lived together in Primrose Hill, London, and Ruth has previously stated that they remain “best friends” following their separation.

Actors Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga visit Build series to discuss 'Preacher' at Build Studio on June 20, 2018
Actors Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga visit Build series to discuss 'Preacher' at Build Studio on June 20, 2018 (Desiree Navarro)

But celebrity has never seemingly interested her. "I have not been aggressive in my pursuit of being a star," she told the Hollywood Reporter at Cannes. "I've never had a plan. Maybe I need to be more aggressive because it's quite tough!”

Ruth and Dominic dated for six years
Ruth and Dominic dated for six years (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

The news was originally reported in 2018, with Ruth later telling Marie Claire: “We broke up a very long time ago. It’s just people knew about it recently. You found out a couple of years too late. Ha!”

Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga in November 2017
Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga in November 2017 (Dave Benett)

Speaking about continuing to work with him on Preacher, she added: “I think if you really love someone and care about them, and you’re going to work with them… maybe it doesn’t work for some people, but it just worked for us. We know each other, the way we work, and he’s super-supportive of me. I know this sounds like [expletive] spiel, but it’s not. We’ve literally got each other’s backs.”