Caitriona Balfe is beloved among Outlander fans. Her performance as Claire Fraser and her connection with her co-star Sam Heughan (who plays Jamie) has earned her plenty of love, but many people are also curious about her love life!
While Caitriona’s on-screen romance with Sam has led to speculation about the pair, she’s actually been with her husband Anthony “Tony” McGill for a very long time.
Even though Tony mostly stays out of the spotlight, it’s clear that he and Caitriona have a very special bond. Before Outlander returns for its 7th season, get to know more about Caitriona’s husband.
Caitriona Balfe & Tony McGill Have Been Linked Since 2015
Romance rumors about Tony and the Belfast actress began in 2015, when a friend posted a video of her sitting on her future husband’s lap in a bar, according to People. The video was deleted, but she was playing the flute for some friends.
In 2018, she shared their meet cute story in an interview on an Irish talk show. It is definitely super sweet. “I met him through one of my best friends, which I think is the best kind of introduction you can get,” she said, via Irish Star.
Since their relationship began, Tony has only made a few public appearances with his wife. They attended Jodie Foster’s Walk of Fame ceremony together, and they made their red carpet debut at the 2020 Oscars.
Tony is incredibly private, and Caitriona has spoken about how he prefers to stay out of the spotlight. “He’s a very shy person and doesn’t like much talking about him,” she said on the Irish Late Late Show.
Tony McGill Is In The Music Business
Since Tony is very private, many details about his career are also very sparing. Multiple outlets report that he’s a music producer and a band manager, but details on what artists he’s worked with are difficult to come by.
Still, the fact that they’re both in the entertainment biz should come as no surprise! Since their work calls for them to travel to different places, Caitriona opened up about their living situation in a 2021 interview with The Wall Street Journal.
“Today, my husband, Tony, and I and our son are slightly nomadic,” she said. “We split our time between Glasgow and London. When I’m working on Outlander, we’re in Glasgow.”
They Got Married In 2019
In between seasons of Outlander in 2018, Tony popped the question! Caitriona seemed over the moon when she shared the exciting news.
Caitriona revealed that Tony had proposed to her in an interview on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. “It happened over the break. I’m very happy,” she told People.
In August 2019, sources told the outlet that Tony and Caitriona tied the knot in a service at the United Kingsdom’s St. Mary’s Church in Somerset. They reportedly had an intimate Catholic service.
Caitriona’s Outlander co-star Sam Heughan shared a photo presumably from the wedding, where he rocked a gray suit. He sweetly called it a “remarkable weekend” in an Instagram post.
They Welcomed Their Son In 2021
Caitriona revealed that she and Tony welcomed their first child, a son, in an August 2021 Instagram post. She posted an adorable black-and-white photo of her baby holding onto her fingers.
“We are so grateful for this little soul ….that he chose us as his parents. I’m in awe of him already and can’t help stare and wonder at all the possibilities of who he will become, where he will go and what he’ll do on the big adventure of his life,” she gushed in the caption.
Like her marriage, the Belfast star has decided to keep her family out of the spotlight. She noted that since becoming a mom, she’s been very “protective” over her son in a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair.
Has Caitriona Balfe Dated Sam Heughan?
Given the great chemistry that she has with her co-star Sam Heughan, tons of Outlander fans have wondered if the on-screen couple have ever dated in real life.
Despite sharing playful flirty messages on social media, the two seem are simply very good friends. Both actors have shut down any possible romance rumors on multiple occasions. Caitriona even said she felt like it was a “tired” conversation in a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“This is fantasy. This is our job. We are very different in our private life. We are best friends,” she said. “Sam is one of the most generous people you’ll ever meet. Such a great guy, no ego involved.”
Despite all the pushing back, a few “crazies” had drummed up conspiracies about Caitriona and Tony’s wedding, with some fans hoping that the romance with Sam was also off-screen. Unfortunately, it apparently hit the wrong chord with Caitriona.
The actress addressed those theories in the above-mentioned Vanity Fair interview. “It’s sad, because you meet the loveliest people who are fans of the show and they’re super supportive and they do the nicest things—and then you have that little thing, which just taints it,” she said.