Amanda Cronin Reveals Torrid Fling with Jude Law and Reflects on Past Romances
Amanda Cronin, the Belgravia-based businesswoman and television regular on Real Housewives of London, has opened up about her colourful love life, which includes more than one Careless Whisper with British stars. While she famously dated Wham! star Andrew Ridgeley, Cronin now claims she once had a torrid fling with acclaimed actor Jude Law.
A Chance Encounter at the Groucho Club
Cronin, 57, was newly single when she says she was introduced to Law, 53, during a night out at the exclusive members-only Groucho Club in Soho, a renowned celebrity haunt. Their initial meeting occurred entirely by accident, with Law gallantly coming to her aid after she tumbled in her high-heeled shoes.
'I was wearing stilettos and a beautiful dress,' she told The Sun. 'I was about to fall down some steps and he caught me.'
Remarkably, the pair instantly bonded over a shared love of poetry. Law revealed his thoughtful side by gifting her a book filled with Middle-Eastern verse after learning of her daughter Sofia's Persian heritage.
'It was Persian poetry because he knew my daughter was Persian,' she recalled.
A Passionate Affair in Eaton Square
Cronin says her fling with the star—now married to business psychologist Phillipa Coan—would play out at her lavish £12 million home in London's upmarket Eaton Square.
'It was one of those moments in time,' she said. 'I’d never really been single. He was single. I was on a break. It was a moment in time. He is a charming, lovely man.'
Reflections on Andrew Ridgeley and Marriage
Cronin's admission comes after she famously claimed ex-boyfriend Andrew Ridgeley—a heartthrob to millions of teenage girls during his time with Wham! in the 1980s—wasn't 'relationship material.'
'I’m looking for a monogamous relationship,' she told the Daily Mail. 'When the next Mr Right comes along, he will have the same set of values that I have. I’m quite traditional, a sweet, country girl. I’m also discerning and want to be around other people who understand what that means.'
By way of acknowledgment that the split may have been by mutual consent, she added: 'I’m intelligent, demanding. Not for everyone.'
However, Cronin had no regrets about the year she spent swanning around with Ridgeley, until she revealed their break-up in the Daily Mail diary in 2023.
'It’s massive, dating Andrew Ridgeley from Wham!, wow,' she said. 'I’m quite proud of it. He’s a good person and it was just great, a lot of fun, and will make a fabulous chapter in my memoir.'
Divorce and Personal Struggles
In 2019, she divorced Mark Daeche, co-founder of energy and broadband provider First Utility (now sold to Shell), who is estimated to be worth around £40 million. The couple married in 2013 and glamorously shuttled between London, Monaco, the South of France, and Geneva before separating in 2017, having spent 'increasing amounts of time apart.'
'We weren’t getting on, he had a lot of work pressure and got very upset and I think I became an easy target,' she recalled. 'I thought, “If you’re going to be in a bad mood, I’ll go to London, be with my daughter, my friends, where I feel comfortable.”'
She added: 'The only time I’ve suffered anxiety was during the breakdown of my marriage. It was a very difficult time so I took Xanax. I never did a massive amount, a “mouse’s nibble” I used to say, but it was definitely a crutch during that time and it kind of got me through. But it’s very difficult to get off — I kept some in every bag, purse and travel pouch I owned.'
Although acrimonious for a time, relations with her ex, who was a 'father figure' to her artist daughter, born during a short-lived marriage in her 20s, are now improved.
'We’ve broken bread,' she said. 'So we’re good.'
The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for further comment.
