Revealed: Jessie Buckley’s ‘secret’ husband is a former X Factor producer with a surprisingly starry CV
Oscar-winning actress Jessie Buckley’s ‘secret’ husband is no stranger to the spotlight and has a surprising showbiz background.
The Hamnet star, 36, has kept her husband’s identity tightly secret since they met on a blind date seven years ago, quietly shielding him from the glare of fame while her own career soared.
But while Jessie prepares for Hollywood’s biggest night after being nominated for an Oscar for her role as Shakespeare’s wife Agnes, her husband will also stay away from the red carpet.
Speaking this week, the Irish actress revealed that her husband’s work on his mental health means he has no plans to join her on the red carpet.
But the Daily Mail can reveal Jessie’s low-profile partner has a secret past in showbiz.
Islington-born Freddie Sorensen, 47, has a surprisingly stellar CV; Including a period working with Simon Cowell.
Freddie had a varied behind-the-scenes career in TV before leaving the industry; He has produced shows such as ITV’s Game of Talents UK with Vernon Kay, and later helped revive the BBC’s Gladiators, producing two episodes of the 2022 reboot, according to iMDB.
Meanwhile, in 2016 he also co-launched ‘innovative’ startup Rebel Bingo, a boozy, high-energy reinvention of the traditional game aimed squarely at younger audiences.
Oscar-nominated actress Jessie Buckley’s husband is a former X Factor producer who worked with Simon Cowell (pictured in 2022), The Daily Mail can reveal
The Irish star has largely kept her partner of seven years, Islington-born Freddie Sorensen, out of the limelight throughout her TV and film career (Freddie pictured left)
Jessie won Best Actress at the Critics’ Choice Awards this week for her portrayal of Shakespeare’s wife Agnes in Hamnet (image 2026)
The initiative grew out of the years Freddie spent organizing raucous entertainment nights at Farringdon town hall, long before he met his future wife.
Described as ‘extraordinary’, Jessie and Freddie married in romantic surroundings at their idyllic 15th-century home in Norfolk in 2023, after five years together.
They were introduced by mutual friend Marc Robinson, a top Universal Records executive whose stars include Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Their first date was a stroll along the Regent’s Canal in Hackney, east London
Last year, the couple welcomed their first child, who is now four months old.
Jessie, who rose to prominence on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s BBC talent series I’d Do Anything in 2018, told Vogue this week that her husband “will not be making his red carpet debut” anytime soon.
Instead, he joked that he would “have fun eating canapés” at promotional events for Hamnet, which explores Shakespeare’s grief following the death of his young son.
Despite his comments, Freddie has attended the Oscars before.
In 2022, she was seen laughing at a star-studded table alongside Olivia Colman and Maggie Gyllenhaal; Jake Gyllenhaal was also sitting nearby, and Jessie was next to him.
Although Jessie said Freddie would skip the Oscars, arguably the biggest night of his career, she has actually accompanied him to the ceremony in the past (image 2022)
Jessie met her husband Freddie on a blind date in Hackney, which included a stroll along the Regent’s Canal, and the rest is history; the couple is getting married in 2023 (image 2025)
After retraining at university, Freddie began hosting the Beginners for Depression podcast, which he started to help others suffering from the same illness as he did (image 2017)
A beaming Jessie was also photographed leaning on her then-boyfriend at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.
Freddie’s support for the copper-haired actor, whose profile continues to rise, is also evident on social media, where he regularly shares his admiration for her film work and projects.
As well as his TV career, Freddie organized party nights in London with his childhood friend James Gordon under the name Red Class, a reference to the class they once shared.
The events evolved into the Rebel Bingo Club and later the period-themed party night The End of the World.
Rebel Bingo’s Instagram page, which has over 3,500 followers, remains active and now promotes ‘immersive experiences for brave souls’, including haunted bingo events.
After leaving television and events behind, Freddie re-educated at university and shifted his focus to mental health awareness.
She later started the Depression for Beginners podcast, created to help others experiencing the same illness she did.
Jessie has been nominated for an Oscar at next month’s ceremony for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, the origin story of Hamlet, opposite Paul Mescal.
This week Jessie reflected on her time competing in Graham Norton’s I’d Do Anything and finished second.
‘A podcast where I try to do something that might help me when I’m in the depths of psychological hell,’ he wrote at the time.
Freddie also developed Rebel Lectures, a spin-off of Rebel Bingo, which he described in 2017 as an attempt to make learning ‘more emotional’. More showbiz. More.’
This week Jessie also talked about her early rise to fame in Graham Norton’s I’d Do Anything, where she came second after auditioning for the role of Nancy in Oliver.
She described the experience as ‘brutal’, saying some of the judges’ comments were sexist and overly focused on her appearance.
Jessie said: ‘At the time I was just trying to move into a space of my own. I hope a woman of any age, 15, 17, will never be subjected to brutality like she did on that show.
‘But I didn’t really recognize it at the time. ‘I just felt it and it was so hard.’
