Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza’s relationship is one for the books.
The actor and rapper met his writer wife in a coffee shop in 2018, just before his career took off. The couple became friends, but eventually started dating. In 2020, Ahmed and Mirza quietly got married.
The couple is very private and rarely goes public with details about their relationship. In fact, the news of their wedding went public only because Ahmed missed it in an interview in January 2021.
“I guess I don’t really feel like it’s that relevant in general, so I don’t go into much about my personal life or relationship history or even family life,” he said during one episode Founded with Louis Theroux podcast.
From red carpet moments to supportive social media posts, here’s everything you need to know about Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza’s relationship.
2018: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza meet in a cafe in New York
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty
Ahmed and Mirza met in real life: They met “by chance” in a coffee shop in New York in 2018.
During an appearance on the channel in January 2021 Tonight’s show, Ahmed shared details about the moment he met his now wife. “We just both sat down at the same table in a coffee shop, where we both showed up to write,” he said. “We were both huddled around the same laptop ports, a very modern way of getting to know each other.”
At the time, Ahmed was preparing for his role in The sound of metalthe film that will bring him his first Oscar nomination.
“It’s strangely one of the many things about preparing for this role that was so special. It just brought a lot of goodness into my life,” Ahmed said of the role.
He added that the pair “struck up a friendship” and later “reconnected”.
Early 2020: Riz Ahmed proposes to Fatima Farheen Mirza
Ahmed asked Mirza to marry him amid the COVID-19 quarantine, although it is not known exactly when he popped the question.
The actor shared details of his “cheesy” proposal during an April 2021 episode of the show Jimmy Kimmel Live. The couple went to their local park and had a picnic before Ahmed moved.
“She likes a little Scrabble,” Ahmed explained to host Jimmy Kimmel. “We were actually playing Scrabble and I did that corny thing where I stole all the right letters and wrote ‘Will you marry me?’ ”
Late 2020: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza get married
Sometime in late 2020, Ahmed and Mirza tied the knot in a “super intimate” backyard ceremony in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, where Mirza grew up and where her family still lives.
Because of the ongoing pandemic, there was “barely anyone there,” Ahmed said during his appearance on the Tonight’s showwhich allowed the couple to keep the news a secret.
January 11, 2021: Riz Ahmed announces his marriage to Fatima Farheen Mirza
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty
In the episode Founded with Louis Theroux, published on January 11, 2021, Ahmed revealed that he is a married man. When asked where he spent his isolation, Ahmed said he stayed in California because “his wife’s family” lived there.
“I think this is the first time I’ve mentioned it in an interview, so congratulations on this incredibly exciting report,” Ahmed joked, adding that he got married “not too long ago.”
January 19, 2021: Riz Ahmed opens up about his married life with Fatima Farheen Mirza
In the profile for The Hollywood Reporter, Ahmed opened up about his marriage to Mirza during the quarantine due to COVID-19. “It feels good to be married,” he said, adding that the quarantine was a clarifying experience for the couple.
“I think that COVID was a huge accelerator for people. It was something that just clears things up for you, it clears up what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, what you really want. It seems like it threw us into our own future, collectively and individually,” he explained. “The wedding was something that felt right and made sense.”
April 22, 2021: Riz Ahmed dedicates his Independent Spirit Award to Fatima Farheen Mirza
In April 2021, Ahmed won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film The sound of metal. In his acceptance speech, he sweetly greeted Mirza, saying, “This is all for you.”
April 25, 2021: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza make their Academy Awards red carpet debut
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Months after announcing their engagement, Ahmed and Mirza made their official red carpet debut at the 93rd Academy Awards, where Ahmed was up for Best Actor. The pair shared an adorable moment as they posed for photos on the carpet, with Ahmed pausing to fix Mirza’s hair. “I’m the official groomer,” he joked.
October 8, 2021: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza attend the film’s London premiere Meeting
Ahmed and Mirza hit the red carpet together for the UK premiere of Ahmed’s sci-fi thriller, Meetingat the BFI London Film Festival 2021. The event marked the first time the pair had been seen together in Ahmed’s hometown.
December 5, 2021: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza attend the British Independent Film Awards
David M. Bennett/Dave Bennett/Getty
A few months later, the pair stunned on the red carpet at the British Independent Film Awards 2021. Mirza was in the audience as Ahmed was presented with the Richard Harris Award, which is given to an actor who has made a significant contribution to British film.
March 13, 2022: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza attend the BAFTA Awards
David M. Bennett/Dave Bennett/Getty
Ahmed and Mirza attended the 2022 BAFTAs again, where they dined at an afterparty held at the Grosvenor House Hotel and attended British Vogue‘s Fashion and Film Party alongside other British celebrities including Naomi Campbell, Emma Watson and Florence Pugh.
March 21, 2022: Fatima Farheen Mirza talks about what love means to her
Fashion house Valentino chose Mirza for its Narratives campaign, for which they asked 17 writers and poets to share what the word “love” means to them.
“One of the signs that you love someone or that someone loves you is when you feel that being around them brings you closer to yourself, closer to your truth,” Mirza said. New York Magazine project. The writer also stated that her love language is “quality time”, adding: “Preferably spent away from the cell phone in nature with the person I love.”
Ahmed later shared Mirza’s campaign text on Instagram.
March 29, 2022: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza at the Academy Awards
Continuing with the awards show, Ahmed and Mirza walked the red carpet at the 2022 Academy Awards, where the rapper won his first Oscar for Long goodbye — a short film accompanying his concept album of the same name. In an Instagram post after the show, Ahmed made sure to say hello to his wife.
“Thank you to my family and my wife @ffmirza for being my torch in the darkness,” he wrote.
April 1, 2022: Fatima Farheen Mirza celebrates Riz Ahmed’s Oscar win
Days after Ahmed’s big Oscar win, Mirza paid tribute to her husband in a rare Instagram post. “I don’t know anyone who works as hard as Rizwan,” she wrote. “I’m always amazed at how every creative choice he makes is based on his values, his truth and his heart.
She continued, “Long goodbye is a brave portrayal of so many of our fears and seeing it on screen, despite how terrifying it is, is also somehow reassuringly comforting. I’m so proud of this win and how it expands what’s possible for the rest of us.”
September 4, 2022: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza attend a literary event in London
David M. Bennett/Dave Bennett/Getty
In September 2022, Ahmed accompanied his author wife to a literary event celebrating Edward Enninful’s new memoir, The visible man, at Claridge’s Hotel in London. Mirza wore a long, orange dress for the occasion, while Ahmed wore a two-piece set.
June 20, 2023: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza at Paris Fashion Week
Pierre Mouton/Getty
Ahmed and Mirza sat front row at the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2024 menswear show during Paris Fashion Week. The British actor wore a maroon sweater and matching pants, while his wife wore a black dress.
March 10, 2024: Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza attend the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
The couple walked the red carpet invanity fairOscar after party in Los Angeles. Ahmed and Mirza wore brown and black suits for the star-studded event.
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Source: HIS Education