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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Scarlett O'Toole

James Corden's love life - Sheridan Smith heartbreak and Lily Allen 'awkward encounter'

James Corden is preparing to leave his hit US chat show to return to the UK and spend some quality time with his wife and kids.

When he's not busy making audiences laugh, the talk show host is likely to be with his wife Julia Carey and their three children — Max, nine, Carey, six, and Charlotte, three.

Before falling in love with Julia, 44-year-old James had a turbulent two-year relationship with his Gavin and Stacey co-star Sheridan Smith.

The pair first started dating in 2007 after starring in the hit sitcom, in which they played brother and sister; Smithy and Rudi.

However, cracks started to show in their relationship and they ultimately split in 2008.

Sheridan Smith and James Corden dated in 2007 (Getty Images)
The pair had a rocky romance (Alan Davidson/REX/Shutterstock)

It was claimed in 2008 that James had tried to made advances towards Lily Allen after awkwardly trying to flirt with the singer on her chat show, Lily and Friends.

During his interview, Lily complimented James' eyes and he replied: "I don't think you know how lovely you are."

After a bit of back-and-forth banter, the singer joked: "Just f**k me," before adding: "That's how you get into a girl's pants."

Lily later opened up about the interview on Twitter and said she felt unable to shut down James' advances.

Responding to a clip of her chat show, she wrote: "No, I wasn’t horny for James Cordon either, he came on to me in front of a studio audience, if I’d have shut him down, I would have been labeled [sic] cold or up myself or snobbish."

James flirted with Lily Allen on her chat show (BBCThree)

James and Lily were rumoured to have enjoyed a string of dates but nothing ever came of it.

Speaking about the singer at the time, James said: "I made it my aim to make Lily mine. I guess we were friends but, for my part, I definitely wanted more than that."

The following February, James reunited with Sheridan and even declared her the "love of my life".

"Yes, Sheridan and I are back together and it’s going brilliantly," he told The Mirror in 2008. "I couldn’t be happier. I want to marry my girl."

But it seems Sheridan wasn't on the same page as her boyfriend.

Years later, the actress admitted: "I was a lot wilder back then. I wasn't someone who was in a frame of mind of settling down."

James was heartbroken by the split (Getty Images)

James and Sheridan split for a final time in 2009, leaving the talk show host "heartbroken".

James previously said: "I'd had a relationship with Sheridan which was heartbreaking, when you think something might work and it doesn't. And I felt a bit lost.

"And feeling lost, and feeling heartbroken, and feeling single for the first time in your adult life, at the very moment when you become a little bit famous, is quite a potent mix," he told The Times.

However, less than six months later, James met charity worker (and later wife) Julia Carey.

James is now married to Julia Carey (AFP via Getty Images)

The couple got married in 2012 and went on to have three children together.

James recently heaped praise on his wife and joked she must look at her comedian husband sometimes and think "this was a huge mistake".

"I absolutely knew minute one that I couldn't do any better than this. When I met Jules, I was like it's a miracle every day. She must just look at me and think, 'What did I do. This was a huge mistake'," he told Good Morning Britain.

While collecting a Tony award in 2012, he also gushed about the love of his life.

"Seriously, I would not be holding this if it wasn’t for her. She made me say 'us' instead of 'I' and 'we' instead of 'me' and I love her. Thank you very much."

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