Natalie Dormer & David Oakes Have Welcomed Their First Child

On screen, Natalie Dormer has been known to be pretty unlucky in love. Most notably, as Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, she certainly drew the short straw after ending up with Joffrey Baratheon. But in real life, the star’s love life has been much happier, and Dormer even just welcomed her first child with partner David Oakes. Here’s what we know about the pair’s relationship and their new bundle of joy.

Dormer announced the birth of her baby daughter on the “That’s After Life!” Podcast, in discussion with Dame Esther Rantzen and Adrian Mills. She had previously kept quiet about her child, and hadn’t even revealed she was pregnant.

Announcing that her baby was born in January 2021, Dormer explained:

“It’s the perfect thing to do during a pandemic, get pregnant and have a baby. I feel like I’m probably being a bit of a cliche. She’ll probably be sitting in a bar in 30 years’ time on a date going, ‘Yeah, I’m a Covid baby!’”

“I think there’s going to be lots of COVID babies, because what else can you do?” she jokingly added.

“I’m in love. I’m absolutely in love, she’s a joy,” the actor said, before explaining that having a child has given her “a whole new perspective to life.”

“She’s an absolute joy – I’m never going to complain about shooting hours ever again because the sleep deprivation is something else.”

Dormer shares her child with partner David Oakes, who she met when they both starred in West End play Venus in Fur back in 2017. The couple became romantically linked following Dormer’s split from ex-fiancé Anthony Byrne in 2018. Dormer and Byrne had been together for 11 years and while it’s not clear exactly why they split, Dormer had previously spoken about the friction that working together on thriller In Darkness caused.

“Couples say terrible things to each other that you would never say to your best friend,” she explained to You Magazine. “We learned very quickly that we couldn't write in the same room. Doors got slammed at various points and I wouldn't necessarily rush into writing with Anthony again, but I have huge respect for him."

Dormer and Oakes are fairly private in their relationship, but have been spotted out and about from time to time walking their dog Indy.