Jemima Khan reportedly believed that Hugh Grant flirted with Drew Barrymore while promoting their new film Music and Lyrics to cover up with the face he was interested in someone else.

Hugh and Drew frequently put their arms around each other at the various premieres of the film but despite Drew’s newly single status, Jemima wasn’t worried that Hugh had fallen for his co-star.

A source close to Jemima told the Daily Mail: “Jemima thought that Hugh was using Drew to deflect her from another love interest.”

“Sure, Jemima was convinced that Hugh had a soft spot for Drew. He would wind Jemima up constantly by talking about what a great sense of humour Drew has, how much she made him laugh and how she was one of the most engaging women he’s met in a long time. It really annoyed Jemima, especially as she put up with Hugh being away so much to make the movie.”

“But the truth is Jemima was far more concerned about a young woman at Warner Bros [studio] who kept calling Hugh, not a cheap publicity stunt with Drew. She became convinced something was going on.”


“She found out the woman was rather posh and had been educated at Cheltenham Ladies College and Cambridge University. Hugh seemed quite enamoured by their conversations and told Jemima the woman was very senior in the studio.”

“Hugh was always disappearing for meetings and whenever he was on the phone to this woman, Jemima could hear her plummy laughter. She would always call Hugh on his mobile, but Hugh would tell Jemima the woman was calling to discuss the movie. Then he’d switch his phone off. Jemima has been very upset about it. She’s barely eaten for weeks.”

“The other day he compared her to Victoria Beckham, which Jemima said was the ultimate insult. The relationship has not been good for a while. Jemima cares very deeply for Hugh, but she feels he’s an incorrigible flirt and a bachelor who won’t change his ways. Jemima realised there was no way she was going to be able to tame Hugh and that the relationship was over.”

The source insists though that despite rumours, Jemima wasn’t desperate to marry Hugh: “The marriage issue is a bit of a misconception. Despite reports they were engaged, they weren’t. It’s really not the case that Jemima wanted to get Hugh down the aisle. She is enjoying her new-found freedom and has no intention to marry again in a hurry… especially not for an actor who’s not that comfortable in his own skin and seems to have a lot of his own issues to deal with before he can start to think of committing to someone else.”

“Jemima has everything in the world she could want - beautiful children, more money than she knows what to do with and fame in her own right. What she wanted from Hugh wasn’t necessarily marriage, but emotional commitment. The relationship wasn’t working because there was no empathy. He didn’t provide her with the love and emotional support she needs.”