All About Martin McDonagh, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Partner

The success of Fleabag brought new attention to creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, with some fans wondering about her own personal life.

While the critically acclaimed show was unabashed about discussing relationships and sex, the lead actress is a bit more coy when it comes to talking about her real-life partner, playwright and director Martin McDonagh.

Here, what you need to know about the two:

They’ve been dating for a while.

In December 2017, it was first announced that Waller-Bridge would be getting divorced from her husband, filmmaker Conor Woodman, and in recent years, she’s been known to be dating McDonagh. According to Bustle, they were first linked together after she attended the screening of his film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. In a profile of Waller-Bridge, the New York Times noted their relationship, reporting that she has said she’s “less inclined” to share early drafts of her work with McDonagh.

McDonagh and Waller-Bridge at the Academy Awards in 2018.

She’s a fan of his work as a playwright.

In an interview with The Guardian, Waller-Bridge opened up about once seeing McDonagh’s play The Pillowman before the two started dating. She told the outlet, “It was the first play I saw that made me think theatre can be really exciting. Sometimes you need to see something like that—a piece of work that wakes you up, that makes you go, ‘Yes, of course that can be done’ and gives your imagination permission to go 17 million other places. I felt like that about his work.”

They keep their relationship fairly private.

However, she refrained from talking about the details of their relationship, telling the reporter, “I’m not going to talk about that,” when asked if it was the happiest she’d ever been in a relationship. She also evaded questions about McDonagh in a November 2019 Vogue cover interview. “I’m much braver in my writing life,” she explained, when dismissing inquires about her past and current romances.

Waller-Bridge and McDonagh in 2019.

He’s also an award-winning artist.

While Waller-Bridge has been collecting trophies for her work on both Fleabag and Killing Eve (nominated for two Globes) McDonagh is also an awards winner. He picked up an Oscar in 2006 for his short film Six Shooter and was also nominated for writing the screenplay to 2008’s In Bruges. A decade later, he received two Oscar nominations for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, ultimately directing stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell to Oscar wins for their performances.

Waller-Bridge sparked engagement rumors in September 2023.

In September 2023, Waller-Bridge fueled speculation that she and McDonagh were engaged after she attended her brother’s wedding wearing a large diamond ring on her left hand. She was photographed at the ceremony alongside McDonagh. Neither publicly confirmed the news at the time.

They were spotted together in London in February 2026.

In early February 2026, Waller-Bridge and McDonagh were photographed during a rare night out in London’s Soho. The couple was seen leaving a restaurant together, marking one of their few public appearances together.

Waller-Bridge wore a black tailored trouser suit styled with a blue shirt and tie, while McDonagh stepped out in a dark suit paired with a black shirt.