Christmas wouldn’t be the same without endless repeats of Richard Curtis ' romcom movie classic Love Actually.
The festive film first hit cinemas back in 2003 and each year thousands of families sit down to watch the classic in the run-up to Christmas.
But deleted scenes from the romantic comedy have resurfaced, including one which would have helped the hit film avoid major criticism about its lack of LGBTQ+ storylines from fans.
A scene from the movie which was scrapped from the final edit has reappeared online, featuring a lesbian love story.
The cut plot featured a stern headmistress - played by Coronation Street star Anne Reid - who returns from work to tend to her terminally ill partner Geraldine - played by Rising Damp’s Frances de la Tour.
The couple were linked to the wider story by the subplot involving Emma Thompson, whose son was a pupil at Reid's school.
As the headmistress tells her visibly sick partner about her day, it's clear that Geraldine is full of spirit despite her illness.
The pair share just two short scenes together, with the second one featuring Geraldine coughing in bed and being comforted by the headmistress.
Viewers were supposed to be treated to a scene in which the duo bicker over their differing tastes in fancy sausages and display wicked senses of humours, before cuddling up for the night.
In the recently resurfaced deleted scene, the two are filmed tucked in bed and Geraldine is seen coughing violently in her sleep.
The scene then cuts to the school’s Christmas show where Emma Thompson’s character makes a moving speech about the headmistress’ loss.
The 2003 romantic comedy boats several emotional and intertwining storylines featuring a large ensemble cast of many of Britain’s finest actors.
The festive favourite is watched by many in the run-up to Christmas with an all-star cast including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley and Colin Firth.
The characters’ relationships range from platonic friendships to romantic love triangles, but they all have one thing in common: they only feature heterosexual couples.
The film came under intense scrutiny after its release for its lack of LGBTQ+ storylines.
The heartbreaking deleted scene could have helped the film avoid major criticism as many wish that director Richard Curtis had kept this touching subplot in.
Richard later explained that the story was meant to show that each person has their own complicated tale of love.
Director Richard Curtis said of the scene on the film’s bonus footage: "I was really sorry to lose this.
"The idea was meant to be that you just casually meet this very stern headmistress, but later on in the film we suddenly fell in with her and you realise that, no matter how unlikely it seems, any character you come across in life has their own complicated tale of love."
Apparently in an effort to show that "love actually is all around", Curtis and his team even shot scenes in Kenya that were never used.
The cut storyline was said to have starred a couple who had supported each other through famine.
