Did Caitriona Balfe Date Tobias Menzies In Real Life?
Starz’s historical drama Outlander shares the story of British World War II nurse Claire Randall Fraser as she mysteriously goes back to 1743 Scotland. Claire, played by Caitriona Balfe, begins her story married to M16 officer-turned-scholar Frank Randall, played by Tobias Menzies. So, did Balfe and Menzies ever date in real life?
Did ‘Outlander’ stars Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies date in real life?
Caitriona Balfe plays Claire Randall Fraser through all seven seasons of Outlander. She begins her journey married to Frank Randall, played by Tobias Menzies. Menzies also goes on to play Frank’s 18th-century ancestor, Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall.
While Claire and Frank start the show as a married couple, they don’t end that way. Claire falls for Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser, whom she later marries. But before Claire creates a future with Jamie, she’s caught between two worlds (and two men) who offer entirely different paths.
So, did Balfe and Menzies ever date in real life? It appears they did not.
Menzies has kept his personal life extremely private, as there’s very little information available regarding his past relationships. There’s some evidence to suggest he dated British actor Kristen Scott Thomas in 2005, but this remains unconfirmed.
As for Balfe, she married Irish band manager Tony McGill in 2019. Balfe and McGill met through one of Balfe’s best friends. They were first seen together in 2015 after a friend of Balfe’s posted a clip of the couple. The clip shows Balfe sitting on McGill’s lap and playing the flute for friends in a bar. In 2018, she announced her engagement to McGill. “I’m very happy,” she told People.
Balfe and McGill had a private wedding ceremony in the U.K. in August 2019. She said it was a “beautiful” affair with close friends and family in attendance. Then, in 2021, Balfe and McGill welcomed their first baby. The couple didn’t announce the pregnancy before the baby’s birth.
“We are so grateful for this little soul … that he chose us as his parents,” she posted to Instagram in August 2021. “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.”
The on-screen couple discussed their relationship in the show
Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies’ characters are essential to the Outlander plot in the first few seasons. Before Claire and Frank eventually agree to divorce (and Frank dies), they attempt to repair their broken marriage.
“Claire really wants this relationship to work on many levels,” Balfe told Collider before Outlander Season 3 aired. “Here is somebody who’s accepted her back, and he’s accepted her reasons for being away, more or less, and he’s agreed to raise this daughter as his own, so there’s a lot of admiration there for what Frank is offering her. I think that she really wants more than anything else that she can make this work, but of course, it’s more difficult than that.”
“Yeah, I think the whole story between the two of them in these first three episodes is really kind of a study of the tragedy of two very well-meaning people just failing to reach each other,” Menzies continued. ” … That’s sort of challenging for both of them in different ways. I think Claire, as much as Frank, wants to love him. Claire almost as equally, probably, desires it herself, but it’s just, if it ain’t there, it ain’t there.”
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