Harry Potter actress Jessie Cave has spoken candidly about an 'awful' two-year period that followed her secret separation from comedian boyfriend Alfie Brown, describing how it deeply affected her self-confidence and career.
The Emotional Toll of a Secret Split
The 38-year-old performer, best known for playing Lavender Brown in the iconic film series, made the heartfelt revelations in a lengthy Instagram post. She detailed the profound personal and professional challenges she faced during this turbulent time, which began around 2023.
Jessie, who shares four children with Alfie Brown, explained that the difficult period was triggered in part by Alfie being 'cancelled' in 2023. This occurred on the very day their youngest son, Becker, celebrated his first birthday. Old footage from 2015 resurfaced showing the stand-up comedian using a racist slur, for which he subsequently apologised.
Watching a Partner's Struggle
In her emotional social media statement, Cave described the pain of witnessing the person she loves most endure public shaming and humiliation. 'I won't make this about me and tell you how AWFUL it has been to watch the person you love most in the world go through so much pain,' she wrote.
She revealed the extensive fallout, stating it had 'massively affected my career and self-confidence too'. She recounted seeing Alfie, the son of composer Steve Brown and impressionist Jan Ravens, retreat from the spotlight, overthink, and lose his way. She watched him perform Edinburgh Festival shows in tears as he worked through new material in the aftermath.
The actress also highlighted further tragedies that compounded their struggles, including the shocking deaths of Alfie's great friend and director Adam Brace, and his father Steve Brown. She accused the theatre they had both worked with for over a decade of acting 'like cowards' and covering up posters of him.
A Path Forward Through Podcasts and Comedy
Despite the bleakness, Jessie Cave shared that life has now significantly improved. The couple have launched a new podcast together titled 'Before We Break Up Again (BWBUA)', where they delve into their personal lives and past breakups. They had previously split in 2018, a detail disclosed on the podcast.
Alfie has also released a comedy special about his experiences called 'The Last Cancelled Comedian', which is now available on YouTube and has been receiving a positive response. Jessie, who also runs an OnlyFans account, stated that while she finds the show hard to watch, she believes it is incredible.
'Everything is much better now. He's back onstage again, we are close to happy,' she wrote, adding a note of caution for the future. In an interview with The Sunday Times, she confessed uncertainty about whether they 'will remain a couple for ever'.
The pair first met in 2012 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. After a friend-set-up date two years later, they spent one night together and didn't reunite until four months later when Jessie discovered she was pregnant with their first child, Donnie, born in October 2014. They later welcomed a daughter, a second son in October 2020, and announced a fourth pregnancy in December 2021.
