James Righton is a British musician, composer, and former keyboardist for the band Klaxons, who has been married to actress Keira Knightley for over a decade. The couple met in 2011 through a mutual friend at a dinner party, and married in 2013. They have since maintained a very private relationship, keeping it out of the public eye.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

• James Righton is a British musician, best known as the former keyboardist of the band Klaxons.
• He met Keira Knightley in 2011 through mutual friends at a dinner party.
• The couple got married in May 2013 in a small ceremony in France.
• They are parents to two daughters, Edie and Delilah.

Profile summary

Full name	Keira Christina Knightley	James Nicholas Righton
Gender	Female	Male
Date of birth	26 March 1985	25 August 1983
Age	40 years old (as of 2025)	42 years old (as of 2025)
Place of birth	Teddington, London, England	Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Current residence	Canonbury, Islington, London, England	Canonbury, Islington, London, England
Nationality	British	British
Ethnicity	White	White
Religion	Christianity	Christianity
Sexuality	Straight	Straight
Height in inches	5’7”	5’9”
Height in centimetres	170	175
Weight in pounds	119	150
Weight in kilograms	54	68
Hair colour	Brown	Dark brown
Eye colour	Brown	Hazel
Father	Will Knightley	Nicholas Righton
Mother	Sharman Macdonald	N/A
Siblings	Caleb Knightley	N/A
Marital status	Married	Married
Spouse	James Righton	Keira Knightley
Children	2 (Edie and Delilah)	2
School	Teddington School	Stratford-upon-Avon High School
University	Esher College	Cardiff University
Profession	Actress	Musician, singer, songwriter, composer

Who is James Righton?

James Righton is an English musician and singer. He was born on 25 August 1983 in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. He is 42 years old as of 2025. James’ father, Nicholas Righton, is also a musician.

Righton first rose to prominence as a member of the London-based new rave band Klaxons, which won the Mercury Prize for their 2007 album Myths of the Near Future. The famous band broke up in 2015, after which he began a solo career under his own name and the moniker Shock Machine.

He has since released numerous albums, including The Performer (2020) and Jim, I’m Still Here (2022). The English musician has also composed music for films and television shows, including Benjamin (2018), Daddy Issues (2024), and Hostages (2025). He has worked with ABBA founder Benny Andersson and other artists, including Arctic Monkeys.

Keira Knightley and James Righton’s relationship timeline

Knightley and James have been together for over a decade and share two children. However, the couple is known for keeping their family life private, and they occasionally make public appearances together at events. In a 2014 interview with TimeOut, Keira revealed that marriage was not on her to-do list before meeting Righton, stating:

My parents are deeply hippy. They got married because it was the only way they could get a mortgage at the time. I grew up with them going, ‘Don’t know why you’d ever get married.’ And then we did. It’s nice. It’s been fun. Until it isn’t, and then you get divorced! Fingers crossed for the future.

Here is a look at Knightley and Righton’s complete relationship timeline:

2011: Keira Knightley and James Righton through a mutual friend

Keira Knightley and James Righton met in early 2011 through a mutual friend at a dinner party. At the time, Keira was already a famous actress, and James was the keyboard player for the British band Klaxons. The two quickly became close and started dating soon after.

In an October 2014 interview with The Guardian, Knightley opened up about how she met Righton, saying:

[We met] through our mate Tim, not Alexa Chung, as people keep telling me. We were very drunk

May 2012: Keira Knightley and James Righton got engaged

In May 2012, Keira Knightley and James Righton got engaged after about a year of dating. The representative for the actress confirmed the engagement on 25 May 2012, telling Reuters:

I can confirm that Keira is engaged to be married to James Righton.

May 2013: Keira Knightley and James Righton exchanged their wedding vows

According to British Vogue, on 4 May 2013, Keira Knightley and James Righton got married in a small, private ceremony in Mazan, France. Only 11 close family members and friends were there. Keira wore a simple Chanel dress with a short tulle skirt, a jacket, and flowers in her hair.

They later hosted a second ceremony for friends at her mother’s house, in which Keira wore a Valentino dress covered in flowers.

9 May 2013: Keira Knightley and James Righton honeymoon in Corsica

On 9 May 2013, after their wedding, the couple went on their honeymoon to Corsica. The couple enjoyed some time lounging on the beach and taking a dip in the sea.

20 May 2013: James Righton discusses wedding to Keira Knightley

In a 2013 interview with NME, James Righton said that marrying Keira Knightley didn’t affect his band, the Klaxons. He shared:

I just fell in love with someone who happens to be amazing. We had a beautiful wedding, and there was a lot of love…..The music is the music. That attention will always be there because of who she is, but we’re a pretty established band.

Talking about their wedding, the popular musician called it “the greatest day ever” and said,

It was fantastic. We’re still high from it. It was about two weeks ago, and it was a big party.

2015: Keira and Righton welcomed their first daughter

On 26 May 2015, Knightley and Righton welcomed their first child, Edie Knightley Righton. The couple kept most details private, as they usually do, but Keira later shared how becoming a mother changed her life. In August 2015, during an interview with ELLE, she disclosed:

The love thing is astonishing. It’s a very primal, primal love. That’s quite extraordinary…And the ability to have no sleep and continue going. It’s not pleasant—I never thought that I could actually do it for the amount of time that I’ve done it.

2019: The couple welcomed their second daughter

In May 2019, Keira Knightley and James Righton announced that they were expecting their second child. Later, on 13 September 2019, they welcomed another daughter named Delilah. During an interview with The Telegraph, Keira revealed some details about the breastfeeding experience. She jokingly said:

We’re going to be apart for six hours in total, so I pumped three feeds’ worth. If I don’t do it my chest will explode. I mean, quite literally. It’s going everywhere.

March 2023: Keira shared some details about their 10th wedding anniversary

In March 2023, Keira Knightley talked about her 10th wedding anniversary with James Righton during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. She happily said they had made it to a decade together and joked,

Yeah, we made it. We made it. We have two children, and we’ve made it a decade. It’s a miracle….I met my husband in a very drunken way. We were very drunk for our first few dates, so we don’t really remember them.

2025: Keira and Righton’s public appearances

On 4 January, they appeared at W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Party at Chateau Marmont. The next day, 5 January, the pair graced the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards red carpet together.

Their appearances continued later in the year. On 3 July, they attended the ERDEM and Gay’s The Word Pride Cocktail in support of Not a Phase, accompanied by Keira’s Black Doves co-star Ben Whishaw. A few days later, on 6 July, they were spotted at a photocall for the Bal D’Été held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

FAQs

1. Who is Keira Knightley’s husband? The British actress is married to James Righton, a British musician and former keyboardist of the indie rock band Klaxons.
2. Where is James Righton from? He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
3. How old is James Righton? TheEnglish singer is 42 years old as of 2025. He was born on 25 August 1983.
4. How did James Righton meet Keira? James Righton met Keira Knightley in 2011 at a dinner party through mutual friends.
5. Is Keira Knightley still married to James Righton? Keira and James are still married. They have been together for over a decade since 4 May 2013.
6. What is James Righton doing now? James Righton is currently focused on his solo music career.
7. What was Keira Knightley’s husband’s band? Keira’s husband, James Righton, was a member of the British band Klaxons.
8. Who are Keira Knightley’s children? The actress and her husband, James Righton, have two daughters, Edie and Delilah.

James Righton is an English musician, best known as a former member of the band Klaxons. He married actress Keira Knightley in 2013, and they have two daughters together. The couple keeps their personal life private, but occasionally makes public appearances together.

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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng