Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Idris Elba and Sabrina Elba's Relationship Timeline Idris Elba and Sabrina Elba met at a party in 2017 and wed during an extravagant Moroccan ceremony two years later By Nasha Smith Nasha Smith Nasha Smith is a contributing writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her words have previously appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, InStyle, Shondaland, Thrillist, Lonely Planet, Business Insider, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN’s Andscape. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 17, 2024 07:07AM EDT Art imitated life when Idris Elba met Sabrina Dhowre at a jazz bar one Sunday night in Vancouver, Canada, in 2017. The actor was in town filming The Mountain Between Us with Kate Winslet when he saw the Somali-Canadian model and fell in love "at first sight." The film centers around a man and woman who fall for each other while trying to survive after a plane crash leaves them stranded. In an interview with PEOPLE's former editor-in-chief Jess Cagle in 2017, Idris acknowledged the parallels between his career and personal life, saying, "Falling in love while making a movie about falling in love is pretty special." Idris Elba Fights Off a Ferocious Lion in First Trailer for Creature Feature Beast Despite famously claiming that he would never marry again, Idris made a public proposal to Sabrina at a film screening before tying the knot in a lavish Moroccan ceremony in 2019. Idris and Sabrina are now exploring the dynamics of relationships with other couples on their aptly titled Coupledom podcast. Read on for a look inside Idris and Sabrina Elba's relationship. 2017: Idris and Sabrina meet in Vancouver Daniele Venturelli/WireImage Idris first spotted Sabrina at a party in Vancouver while filming The Mountain Between Us. The actor was immediately attracted to the former Miss Vancouver. "It was love at first sight," he said during an appearance on The View. "I went out on my only day off, true story, it was a Sunday night, I went to this party and there she was. The rest is history." September 8, 2017: Idris and Sabrina make their first red carpet appearance VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty The couple made their first official appearance together at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Molly's Game. A few days later, they turned heads at the premiere of The Mountain Between Us, the film that brought them together. During an interview, he referenced his new love. "This is my beautiful girlfriend," the English actor told Canada's etalk. "I think it's an interesting space, especially for her," he later told PEOPLE. "She'd never done a red carpet before and I tend not to do that. It was nice actually." February 10, 2018: Idris and Sabrina announce their engagement As Idris prepared to preview his big-screen directorial debut Yardie, he enjoyed another major milestone. The actor and director proposed to a stunned Sabrina at the Rio Cinema in London. The cinema confirmed the news, tweeting, "Another @riocinema first! Still 5 days to Valentine's Day but @idriselba went down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend live on stage this morning before a preview of his film #Yardie," along with a selfie of Idris. David Marsden, an agent and the managing director of Sainou Talent Agency, posted a video of the big moment on Instagram with the caption, "When you turn up to the #Yardie screening with @sainoutalent clients @adnanmust & @akin.gazi and the director @idriselba steals the show with a #marriageproposal. #congratulations #love #marriage." Idris Elba and His Wife Sabrina Share Lessons They Learned About Love After 3 Years of Marriage In a PEOPLE Exclusive, Idris called the proposal "the most nerve-wracking thing for me ever," before adding, "But in terms of wanting to make someone feel super special and feel my love, that was pretty romantic for me." Idris originally planned to pop the question on Valentine's Day but settled on the screening when the plan turned "problematic." He said, "It was a little spontaneous if I'm honest. I was at a cast and crew screening and among people I loved. We had all worked so hard on this project, so I was, like, I'm doing it right now, here, today." November 2018: Idris and Sabrina celebrate Idris being named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive Sabrina was thrilled to have her fiancé named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive in 2018. The model posted a photo of Idris from the issue on her Instagram Story with the words "Hot damn" and a heart-eye emoji emblazoned across the bottom. She also shared a photo on Instagram with the caption, "That's my hubby!!! Yaaaaasssssss 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 thanks @people but I already knew ☺️ #chocolateforthewin#lovewakinguptohisface." "She makes me laugh and we share common goals," the actor explained in his Sexiest Man Alive cover story. "She makes me happy. She makes me celebrate my successes and when I'm not too sure about stuff, she makes me think." April 2019: Idris and Sabrina host a 3-day wedding in Morocco In April 2019, the couple tied the knot in Morocco. According to British Vogue, the three-day celebration began with a rehearsal dinner at the luxury resort Amanjena. "There was a huge party with camels and fire dancers and dancing," a source told PEOPLE about the festivities. That was followed by a sunset ceremony at Marrakesh's Ksar Char Bagh hotel. Idris wore a three-piece Ozwald Boateng suit, while Sabrina wore a bespoke Vera Wang gown. The weekend culminated with a festive all-white party featuring a fireworks display. Nods to the pair's African heritage were woven throughout the event. "My family is from East Africa and Idris' is from West Africa, so we thought it would be fun to meet somewhere in between," Sabrina told Vogue. December 2019: Idris opens up about his marriage to Sabrina Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic At the New York City premiere of Cats, Idris spoke glowingly of his marriage to Sabrina. "I think getting married to my beautiful wife was the best thing to happen to me in 2019," he told PeopleTV on the red carpet. "We had our entire families there, so that was just incredible." The London native shared on The View how his previous stance on marriage had also changed. "I have been married before and I famously said I wouldn't get married again. But I met someone that opened me up." He continued, "I'm actually the happiest I've been in a long time." August 13, 2020: Idris and Sabrina open up about their bout with COVID-19 Dia Dipasupil/WireImage Months after sharing his positive COVID-19 diagnosis, Idris and Sabrina revealed how terrifying the entire experience had been. Sabrina, who subsequently tested positive, spoke to Grazia UK about their ordeal. "At one point, Idris really thought that this could be the end," she said. "He has asthma. He is older. It was really scary." Idris and Sabrina made a full recovery, but some uncertainty remained. "That kind of unsureness about what's coming next leaves you with a bit of anxiety," Sabrina said. "But having been sick and being okay also now gives you this new lease on life." June 2021: Idris and Sabrina launch a podcast Steve Granitz/WireImage The couple launched their relationship-focused lifestyle brand S'able Labs (the name is "Elba's" spelled backward), featuring a blog, wellness products, and their Audible podcast series, Coupledom. The pair were inspired by the strength of their relationship and sought to explore what makes a successful partnership. "It was us finding ourselves having these conversations about what makes partnerships work," Sabrina said about the podcast. "Just naturally as a couple, you meet other couples, you start talking about, 'Hey, how has this worked for you guys?' We quickly realized that that community is so much more than just romantic and reaches so many different kinds of partnerships. It just became this great conversation we wanted to share." April 6, 2022: Idris and Sabrina walk the red carpet with his daughter Isan Kevin Winter/Getty Images Sabrina and Idris' daughter Isan joined the actor on the red carpet for the premiere of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in Los Angeles. Idris voiced one-half of the film's villain duo, Knuckles. May 19, 2022: Idris and Sabrina discuss the love lessons they've learned after 3 years of marriage Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Idris and Sabrina opened up to PEOPLE about their marriage and season 2 of their Coupledom podcast, which premiered on May 19, 2022. "It's not 100 percent easy to work with someone you're in a relationship with," Sabrina said. "But I feel like we've definitely sort of found our way. Now we get to sort of build dreams together and see what that looks like." The pair also shared how they handle disagreements, with Idris saying, "there's no hard, fast rule how to navigate that. ... Everyday sort of squabbles, you just differ and move on. I think never losing sight of the fact that it's a journey is really important. When you're swimming, you don't look up to count the laps, because you get tired very quickly. It's a bit like that with marriage. I love anniversaries, but I don't want to count the years." Sabrina added, "Generally if we have an argument, I don't like to go to bed angry, and I think he's the same. That's probably the one thing that we always try not to do." November 30, 2022: Idris and Sabrina get dressed up to attend an event in N.Y.C. Idris and Sabrina Dhowre Elba. Gregory Pace/Shutterstock Idris and Sabrina stepped out for the 36th Footwear News Achievement Awards, commonly known as the "Shoe Oscars." The Luther actor wore a black suit while his model wife was seen in a long-sleeved, sheer brown dress and matching stilettos. The pair were seen holding hands as they posed for photos on the red carpet ahead of the event. January 26, 2023: Idris and Sabrina grace the cover of Ebony magazine Dressed to the nines, Idris and Sabrina appeared on the cover of Ebony's January 2023 issue. The husband and wife opened up about their marriage — and addressed the pressures of being the perfect power couple. "We, like every couple, go through ups and downs … So we don't feel the pressure to actually be a shining example to everyone," Idris said. "But at the same time, we realize that we are, to some degree, an example of what partnership could look like. And the best way for us to illustrate that is to be transparent about who we are." Sabrina chimed in: "I'm so thankful for our dynamic, actually. It wouldn't work for everyone, but it really does work for us. And yeah, we're not perfect, and there are times when I just want him to be home cuddling and not filming, or whatever he's doing. You have to look at the bigger picture and think, 'This is someone who really makes me [feel] like the luckiest girl in the world.' And I have to appreciate that, as opposed to nitpicking it." February 12, 2023: Idris and Sabrina honored with Time100 Impact Award The couple traveled to Dubai to receive the award, which honored their continued efforts to end global hunger. "Being honored at a time where it's crisis after crisis is conflicting," Sabrina said during their acceptance speech. "But it's moments like this that help me feel like the impact of the work we do is being felt." She added: "I want to thank my very good-looking husband. You inspire me every day to become a leader, a change-maker because you've allowed me to dream in a way I've never dreamed." March 12, 2023: Idris and Sabrina attend the Oscars Getty The couple walked the red carpet at the 95th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Sabrina turned heads in a green custom gown by Stella McCartney, and Idris looked dapper in a blue and black Gucci tuxedo. Later that evening, the pair attended Vanity Fair's afterparty. Sabrina traded her green gown for a silver couture masterpiece by Nicolas Jebran, while Idris opted for sneakers and a chic green suit. April 26, 2023: Idris and Sabrina celebrate four years of marriage Idris Elba/instagram The couple celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary with a romantic trip to Mexico. "Happy Anniversary… You You," Idris captioned a photo on Instagram from the couple's candlelit dinner on the beach. In a separate post, Sabrina shared a video of the pair walking toward the ocean. "Happy 4th anniversary baby, thank you for always helping me try to conquer my fears 😂🌊🚫," she said. May 1, 2023: Idris and Sabrina attend the Met Gala Jamie McCarthy/Getty Idris and Sabrina stepped out for the 2023 Met Gala in New York City. They posed together on the red carpet, with the actor in a white tuxedo with black buttons while his wife wore a black gown with bejeweled polka dots. September 16, 2023: Sabrina says working with Idris on her skincare brand was a "big learning curve" Dave Benett/Getty Sabrina and Idris co-founded S’ABLE Labs, which launched in July 2022. While chatting with PEOPLE at Beautycon LA, the model admitted that working with her actor husband was a "big learning curve," but that she “can’t imagine doing it with anyone else.” Sabrina added: “I think it's having correct boundaries and understanding that like you know, finding work is not the same as finding a date night." April 17, 2024: Sabrina says her wedding to Idris was the "best night ever" During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show in April 2024, Sabrina said that their 2019 wedding in Marrakesh still feels like it was "yesterday." “It’s just the party you’ve always wanted, because everyone you love is there," she said. "And you receive that energy from them, that love from them, when it’s people you love. And it made it the best night ever." June 10, 2024: Sabrina and Idris model for Calvin Klein fragrance campaign Sabrina and Idris joined Calvin Klein as ambassadors for the brand's iconic Eternity fragrance franchise. Their first campaign, shot by renowned photographer Mert Alas, promoted the male and female Aromatic Essence scents. "It's been part of pop culture as long as I could remember," Sabrina told PEOPLE of the fragrance. "I was like, 'I can't believe I get to do this.' We did it in a way that just felt so natural, so easy and that showcases Black love in a way I think isn't seen enough — I love the idea of that."