What happened between Talulah Riley and Elon Musk? The duo were married and divorced twice. Details about their relationship timeline explored.
Talulah Riley, born Talulah Jane Riley-Milburn, is an English model, author, and actress who has appeared in many films. She plays Angela in the sci-fi western TV series, Westworld.
She has appeared in films such as Pride & Prejudice (2005), St Trinian’s (2007), The Boat That Rocked (2009), and Inception (2010) which was written and directed by Jonathan Nolan’s brother, Christopher Nolan.
She made her stage debut in The Philadelphia Story at the Old Vic in 2005. Apart from Westworld, her television credits include episodes of Poirot (2003), Marple (2006), and Doctor Who (2008’s “Silence in the Library” and “Forest of the Dead”).
She was a stage actress in plays such as Summer and Smoke. She appeared in the science fiction series Doctor Who. She was in Inception with Leonardo Dicaprio.
Aside from her movie roles, she is famous for being the ex-wife of billionaire Elon Musk. The duo married and divorced twice. Read on for more about their relationship timeline; how they met, why they separated, and a look inside their divorce settlement.
How did Talulah Riley and Elon Musk meet?
Elon and Riley’s relationship started when he settled his divorce from his ex-wife, Justine Musk. They met when Elon visited London in 2008, giving a lecture to the Royal Aeronautical Society.
A friend of Elon’s took him to a nightclub called Whisky Mist where a club promoter introduced them to some models, which included Talulah. She recalls that “he seemed quite nervous”, but even with their 20-year age difference, they did hit it off. It turns out that Talulah was interested in physics and quantum mechanics, and was drawn to Elon and his ideas. One of their conversations revolved around colonising Mars!
She did not know who he was back then, even after he told her about his electric cars, Space X, etc. After meeting the businessman the actress told her father about him, her father googled Elon and did not like what he saw. According to Riley, her father said, “You’ve been picked up by a playboy. Text that man you’re not going for dinner with him and he’s a b*stard”.
The English actress and tech mogul Elon Musk began dating in 2008.
When did Elon Musk marry Talulah Riley?
It only took 10 days of dating before Talulah and Elon were engaged. Talulah had flown to LA to be with Elon at the time, and after his proposal, she flew back to England to fetch her luggage and parents. They returned immediately to LA, where Elon’s mother came over and everyone got to know each other. It was going to be a long engagement: Talulah and Elon married in September 2010 in a storybook wedding in Dornoch Cathedral.
Their wedding took place at the Dornoch Cathedral in the United Kingdom, the same place Guy Ritchie and Madonna had their wedding.
The event was attended by some of the leading names in Silicon Valley. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, were among the guests at their wedding.
It was the second marriage for Musk, but the first for Riley. The actress revealed in an interview that she remained chaste until she began dating the billionaire.
Talulah remembers Elon as very chivalrous and romantic. Despite the distance between them, Elon would find ways to express his love for her. During the filming of St. Trinian’s 2, he sent her 500 roses, along with a bouquet for all the other women on set so that they wouldn’t feel left out.
For Talulah’s birthday, he arranged for the London Community Gospel Choir to sing her happy birthday. As Elon’s wife, she was happy to be a traditional homemaker: she dressed her husband every morning and baked bran muffins for her step-sons. Talulah loved being a stepmother to Elon’s then-five boys and even became good friends with Justine.
Why did Elon Musk and Talulah Riley divorce?
After four years of being in a relationship and almost two years of being married, the Tesla owner announced his separation from Riley in January 2012. by March 2012, Elon Musk and the English actress were officially divorced.
In an interview with Forbes about their first divorce, Musk said, “We took some time apart for several months to see if absence makes the heart grow fonder, and unfortunately it did not,” Musk said. “I still love her, but I’m not in love with her. And I can’t really give her what she wants“
The two lovers did not remain apart for long. A year later, in July 2013, Elon Musk and Talulah Riley got back together and remarried.
The couple stated in an interview that they had reconciled and were back together again. Riley and Musk began living together as a family with Elon’s five children whom he had from his first marriage. Sadly, not long after, their marriage fell apart again.
Elon Musk filed for divorce from the actress on December 31, 2014. but later withdrew the application. On the 21st of March 2016, Elon Musk’s Wife Talulah Riley filed for divorce in Los Angeles.
The couple had reportedly been separated for six months before she filed for divorce. Talulah Riley’s divorce from Elon was finalized and by October 2016 the actress was no longer Talulah Riley Musk.
Elon tweeted, “It was an amazing four years. I will love you forever. You will make someone very happy one day”.
The actress and the billionaire do not have any children together.
How much did Talulah Riley get paid by Elon Musk in their divorce settlement?
In each of Elon and Riley’s divorces, there were millions of settlements the billionaire paid to his ex-wife. When they first separated, Talulah received a $AUD6-million settlement (around 4.2 United States Dollars at that time).
In their second divorce in 2016, Elon Musk paid Riley an $AUD28.6 million settlement.
In total, the actress’s divorce settlement included $16 million in cash and other assets.
Are Elon Musk and Talulah Riley still friends?
The billionaire is still friends with his ex-wife. Despite their separation, Elon and Talulah have a close relationship.
On July 27, 2023, when the actress and model announced she got engaged to her new partner, actor Thomas Brodie Sangster, Elon took beneath her post on Twitter to congratulate her.