Jennifer Lawrence

by Nadia Cohen

  She cheered herself up by rooting for the Louisville Cardinals, her hometown college basketball team, standing out among a crowd of revellers, cheering and flashing signals as the NCAA college basketball game got underway. As images of her were beamed onto the scoreboard, prompting cheers from the crowd, the actress formed an ‘L’-shape with her hand as a sign of support for her favourite team, who were playing against the Kentucky Wildcats.

  She even wore a black University of Louisville T-shirt, skinny jeans and a red Louisville Cardinals cap during the game at the KFC Yum! Center. Her team lost by eight points, but in a video posted to YouTube, she could be seen performing the university’s ‘C-A-R-D-S’ cheer and enjoying a slice of pizza.

  Before the start of the game she’d been ushered to the locker room, where she posed for a photo with radio personality Terry Meiners.

  For her part, Jennifer was certainly doing her best not to be seen to be pining for her boyfriend; instead she tried to make the most of a normal holiday with her family. Renowned for her down-to-earth approach to fame, she followed a traditional turkey dinner with a day spent shopping with pals. And practical Jennifer dressed for some serious bargain hunting at the holiday sales in comfy flats, jeans and a long cardigan jacket. Her skin was make-up free and a simple beanie covered her hair.

  But there were suggestions that Chris could be back in touch, as Jennifer seemed to be spending an awful lot of time checking her phone. As she joined the scrum of Black Friday shoppers hunting down bargains, it appeared she was taking a call from her on-off lover. Whoever was on the line, Jennifer was certainly very happy to hear from the caller, grinning as she saw their name on the screen.

  Whether or not he was checking in by phone, Chris’s absence came as a major disappointment for Jennifer’s grandmother, who had been very excited about meeting him. Carolyn Koch told the Sun On Sunday that she was expecting him to join in the family’s celebrations: ‘Jennifer’s mum flew to Los Angeles to meet Chris,’ she explained of her daughter Karen. ‘We will have to get another chair for the dinner table at Christmas. The family is getting so big we might have to split up for gatherings.’

  Although neither Jennifer nor Chris was prepared to discuss any aspect of their relationship, they did manage to meet up whenever their schedules would allow.

  Meanwhile, Gwyneth had first met TV producer Brad Falchuk in 2010 when she guest-starred on the hit musical-comedy drama series Glee as a glamorous Spanish teacher. In March 2013, his marriage to wife Suzanne, with whom he has two children, ended in divorce and there were even whispers that an affair with Gwyneth was the reason behind it.

  In August 2014, Gwyneth and Brad spent a romantic weekend at the luxurious Amangiri luxury resort in Utah, with an eyewitness telling American magazine Star: ‘They were lying next to each other, Gwyneth was topless.’

  Their relationship dipped below the radar after that sighting, when it appeared that Gwyneth and Chris could be heading for a reunion, but then in January 2015 she was holding hands with Brad at a party following the premiere of her new film, Mordecai, in LA: ‘Their relationship has been stop-start, but is finally getting off the ground,’ a source told Grazia magazine. ‘After finally agreeing to dissolve her relationship with Chris, Gwyneth is ready to take things to the next level with Brad. Bringing him as her date to Robert’s birthday was a big step.’

  And so, having been patient for well over a year, Jennifer and Brad seemed to finally be getting the romances they had waited for: ‘Both Brad and Jen have previously expressed dismay at being third wheels in Chris and Gwyneth’s marriage,’ the source explained to Grazia. ‘Eventually, they both realised that they couldn’t keep living in limbo, and would have to make the final cut in order to move on with their lives.’

  But while she waited for Chris to extricate himself from his complex marital situation, Jennifer was forced to deny that she was romantically involved with her close friend Bradley Cooper. Speculation had always been rife that the close-knit pair were more than just good friends and they were spotted leaving a New York hotel together in March 2015.

  At a party following a gala screening of their film Serena, Jennifer told Us Weekly magazine: ‘We are pretty much work husband and wife, you could say. But there is no sex! I know what you’re thinking!’

  But the next day Bradley left a hotel in Tribeca with Jennifer, carrying her dog Pippa under his arm. The intimate gesture caused many to speculate that there was more to their friendship than met their eye, and they were branded ‘The new Brad and Jen’ in reference to one of Hollywood’s most infamous A-list couplings, between Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

  Grazia magazine reported that Bradley’s on-off girlfriend, British model and actress Suki Waterhouse, was unhappy when she saw the pictures, adding that Jennifer and Bradley were being seen as a hot new couple. ‘They’ve always shared a great vibe – they hit it off straight away when they first began filming together and have been close ever since,’ a source told the magazine. ‘They genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

  ‘The timing hasn’t been right before, but it’s different now and friends think it’s only a matter of time before they hook up. Bradley has been leaning on Jen since splitting from Suki and they’ve become even closer. There’s always been chemistry between them – even if they won’t admit it, everyone else can see it.’

  But just as the rumours began to gather pace, Bradley was spotted hugging Suki at the Coachella music festival in April. The pair hung out with veteran actor Clint Eastwood at the event in California, and there was no sign of Jennifer, who spent Easter Sunday with Chris – he flew into Boston where she was filming on a private jet from New Jersey.

  Just as she dismissed suggestions that she was dating Bradley, Jennifer was also dealing with hints that romance was blossoming with her Hunger Games co-star Liam Hemsworth, who had endured a high-profile split from singer Miley Cyrus roughly a year earlier.

  According to a report in Heat magazine: ‘They’ve always had insane chemistry, but they’ve never been single at the same time before. In fact, when they first met on the set of The Hunger Games, Liam’s then-fiancée Miley Cyrus flew out, possibly to keep an eye on them, I think, because she was jealous.’

  It seemed the Wrecking Ball star was planning to talk to Jennifer at a Christmas party at the end of 2014. ‘Miley wants a showdown,’ an insider said. ‘She’s told everyone she’s planning to confront Jen at [Australian TV presenter] Paul Khoury’s party in a few weeks – he’s Liam’s best friend and he stayed friends with Miley after the split.

  ‘Paul knows Jen through Liam, so all of them are invited. Jen has no idea what’s coming. She hates confrontation, but it would be a chance to settle the score. Liam would be furious and, if he finds out, he may try to stop Miley going. Miley always suspected Jen is the real reason Liam wouldn’t get back with her,’ the source added.

  Liam and Miley started dating in 2009, when they costarred in the Nicholas Sparks’ film, The Last Song. In 2012, Liam proposed with a 3.5-carat Neil Lane diamond ring, but the couple made their last public appearance together at the premiere of his film Paranoia at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles, before he officially announced his split from her at the end of 2013.

  ‘Jen and Liam have been friends for years and she’s always confided in him about the drama in her love life. She’s really leaned on him during all the drama with Chris Martin,’ the Heat report continued. ‘Jen started pouring her heart out about Chris and things got personal. Liam knows Jen loves koala bears so, the next day, he had an enormous stuffed toy koala sent to Jen with a note saying, “Hold out for the perfect man”.’

  Jennifer had raved about her handsome Australian co-star in an interview with Nylon magazine, saying: ‘I guess the thing that surprised me is that I would never expect to ever have a man this good-looking ever be my best friend.

  ‘I just would never assume those things could happen, but he is. He’s the most wonderful, lovable, family-oriented,
sweet, hilarious, amazing guy.’

  She went on to credit the younger brother of Australian actors Chris and Luke Hemsworth for teaching her to stand up for herself: ‘It’s my biggest weakness: negotiating. I’m a wimp about standing up for myself and Liam is always fair. He’s always on time, he’s always doing his job, and he’s good about making sure that things stay fair. He’s teaching me to toughen up a little bit. That was important, I need that.’

  And it seemed that Liam felt exactly the same way about Jennifer: ‘You couldn’t ask for a better co-star than her, she’s great,’ the 6ft 3in heart-throb said of the actress on Good Morning America. ‘Jennifer cares about the people around her, she has a big heart, she’s amazing at it,’ Liam told Robin Roberts.

  Although there was nothing to suggest an actual romance had begun Liam had reportedly been single since a very brief fling with actress Eiza González earlier that year. But he still managed to crack a joke about having to film romantic scenes with Jennifer: ‘Any time I had to kiss Jennifer was pretty uncomfortable,’ the actor told chat show host Jimmy Fallon. ‘When you look at it on the outside it looks like a great picture. She’s one of my best friends. I love her.

  ‘But if we had a kissing scene, she would make a point of eating garlic or tuna fish or something that was disgusting.’

  Although Jennifer continued to insist that she and Liam were nothing more than very good friends, in a separate interview with the Associated Press, Liam spoke movingly about their friendship, adding that she had helped him deal with the fallout after calling off his wedding to Miley Cyrus. ‘For a few years, I went down a path where I forgot to be in the moment and enjoy the moment,’ he revealed. ‘But being around someone like Jen, who is so honest and laughs all day long, I am forced to be in the moment right now. I’m much happier.’

  Naturally, their kind words about each other led to speculation, and OK! magazine was among the many media outlets reporting regularly on the suggestion of a budding romance. One source claimed that their romance first began around the time that Jennifer was getting over the nude photo leak, which came at the same time as her relationship with Chris briefly cooled: ‘It happened while they were in Germany, promoting the movie, having a heart-to-heart in Liam’s hotel room. Jennifer was overwhelmed by all the publicity surrounding her split from Chris Martin and her nude photo scandal, and he was more than happy to listen to her vent,’ said the source, who went on to reveal that consolation from Liam brought out romantic feelings in them both.

  ‘Liam said something to lighten the mood, making Jen laugh, then she wrapped her arms around him to give him a hug. Jennifer definitely had a moment. It was as if she suddenly knew he was The One,’ the source added.

  ‘Liam obviously felt it too, because they decided then and there that they wanted to be together.’

  The source went on to suggest that while there ‘has always been a connection’, it was not until this specific moment that everything suddenly clicked into place.

  According to OK! magazine Jennifer and Liam had a sudden moment of realisation that they were indeed secret soul mates. Another insider claimed that ‘Jennifer definitely had a moment’ with Liam.

  And according to Heat magazine: ‘They intend on keeping things very low-key so they can both see where fate takes them. They’ve always had insane chemistry, but they’ve never been single at the same time before. Jen and Liam have been friends for years, and she’s always confided in him about the drama in her love life. She’s really leaned on him during all the drama with Chris.’

  The pair had also apparently bonded over their love of dogs – Liam is known as a ‘dog whisperer’ among the Hunger Games cast. The actor, who stars as Gale Hawthorne in the film franchise, is always especially happy to share his pet wisdom: ‘Liam always gives me dog advice. Which I don’t actually ask for. He’s what I call a pet supremist,’ Jennifer laughed to Heat magazine.

  Liam interjected: ‘Well, if your dog’s gonna be an idiot and piss everywhere and you’re not gonna know what to do with it…’

  ‘He’s a whisperer, a dog whisperer,’ co-star Josh Hutcherson added.

  Jennifer agreed that Liam is good at training wayward hounds, but she refuses to listen to his pet tips, as her pooch is too ‘cute’ to reprimand.

  The tight-knit trio was also quizzed on whether their friendship means they now do kind things for each other. Initially they insisted they do not, before the Jennifer admitted she does have a sweeter side.

  ‘I did get Josh a helicopter drone for his birthday,’ she explained. ‘I was worried he’d guess what it was, so I told him it was one of those remote control vacuum cleaners you control with your phone, and he believed me. So I was like, “I’m just kidding – it’s a helicopter!” But Liam and I don’t really do anything nice.’

  That might not be strictly true, as Jennifer and Liam appeared to be closer than ever on the publicity trail. Their flirtatious behaviour certainly seemed to suggest that they were in the early stages of a romance, and by the end of their promotional tour Jennifer was sad to be parting ways: ‘I think we’re done with the press tour. I’ve got, like, one more thing to shoot for Hunger Games. We just have one scene to do for the end,’ she told Interview magazine. ‘I’m not happy about it at all. And now Liam’s doing a movie in Australia for two months. It’s the longest that the three of us have ever spent apart.’

  It was also reported that Jennifer’s family were pushing for her to take her relationship with Liam to the next level: ‘Liam and Jen have always been close – there’s a real bond between them and they turn to each other when they have problems,’ an insider told Heat. ‘Her friends and family are desperate for her to ditch Chris – they feel Liam’s a better match and doesn’t carry all the baggage of Gwyneth and children.

  ‘It has been difficult for Jennifer to get her head around, which is why she has been leaning on Liam.

  ‘Jen wants commitment from Chris, but he is still spending time with Gwyneth because of the kids. Jen’s sometimes lonely and Liam is filling that gap. They’re in contact all the time. There’s genuine love there between them,’ the insider added.

  Other friends of Jennifer reportedly hoped she would finish with Chris and end up with Liam.

  ‘There’s definitely some kind of “race” on between Chris and Gwyneth to see who can settle down first with a new partner,’ OK! magazine reported.

  Heat revisited the idea that she might end up with Liam: “Liam and Jen have always been close – there’s a real bond between them and they turn to each other when they have problems,” a source told the magazine. “Her friends and family are desperate for her to ditch Chris – they feel Liam’s a better match and doesn’t carry all the baggage of Gwyneth and children.”

  Other sources suggested that Chris and Jennifer had cooled their romance after just four months of dating because he felt insecure about her hunky bodyguard. Indeed Justin Riblet had caused quite a sensation when he was photographed escorting the actress through Los Angeles International Airport in December 2014, sparking a Twitter frenzy. Chris was supposedly none too happy with all the attention. Celeb Dirty Laundry reported that Chris feared there was ‘more to their relationship than just security details’.

  The fact that Riblet is well-rounded and educated, as well as handsome, only increased Chris’s anxiety, and many fans openly wondered why Jennifer would date Chris when she was with Riblet round the clock.

  ‘He looks like a freaking model,’ one Twitter user wrote.

  ‘If I were Jennifer, that would be my next boyfriend,’ another fan wrote. ‘I want to be Jennifer for one day with JR by my side.’

  Meanwhile The Cut magazine branded him ‘The Hottyguard’.

  According to Riblet’s LinkedIn profile, he is a graduate of Rutgers University and holds a degree in Criminal Justice. He graduated in 2007 and spent five years with the US Army, serving as a Special Forces weapons sergeant.

  While there was no evidence to suggest he a
nd Jennifer enjoyed anything beyond a professional relationship, she would not of course be the first celebrity to have fallen for their bodyguard. Supermodel Heidi Klum was romantically involved with her bodyguard Martin Kirsten for about eighteen months before they called it quits following the break-up of her marriage to the British musician Seal. Other celebrities who reportedly fell for their bodyguards include Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, Kate Gosselin, Scarlett Johansson and Kim Kardashian. And Karl Lagerfeld’s bodyguard, Sebastien Jondeau, is so attractive the creative director of Chanel chose him to star in advertising campaigns.

  Around the same time as her cooling-off period from Chris Martin, Jennifer had to deal with yet more dating rumours after she was spotted hanging out at movie producer Gabe Polsky’s house for more than five hours one evening. ‘They ordered a couple of pizzas and about 30 minutes later another delivery man came with more pizza,’ a source told the New York Daily News. ‘They definitely weren’t in there reading scripts. They were having a good time.’

  She was seen arriving at the Beverly Hills home of the handsome film producer and director with her little dog Pippi in her arms, dressed down in workout gear. Jennifer sported a grey hoodie and leggings, along with trainers and a black tank top and wore a white beanie over her blonde hair.

  She had a brief scare when her pup ran out on the street, but Polsky came to the rescue and retrieved her pet. A source told the Daily News website: ‘The two were spotted hanging out at his residence for about five hours, with Lawrence departing later that night. During their time together, the duo ordered pizza – not once, but twice.’

  Although he had been dating one of Jennifer’s best friends and the pair could have been discussing work on a future project together, there were immediate suggestions that there was more to her friendship with Gabe Polsky – who just so happens to bear quite a resemblance to one Chris Martin.