!["Cats" World Premiere](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1194376655.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.666xh;0,0.0791xh&resize=1200:* ""Cats" World Premiere")
- Sabrina Dhowre met Cats star Idris Elba in a jazz bar while Elba was filming The Mountain Between Us in Vancouver circa 2017. And it was “love at first sight.”
- Dhowre was crowned Miss Vancouver in 2014; since then, the beauty queen and model has walked in a Rolan Mouret fashion show and been featured in British Vogue and Harrods Magazine spreads.
- Dhowre married Elba in a stunning Morocco wedding in April 2019 after being engaged for a little more than a year; the couple’s teary proposal went down in a Canadian movie theater.
- In March, Elba tested positive for coronavirus—and later took to social media to thank his wife for sticking by his side regardless of the potential risks.
Idris Elba made waves at the end of 2019 for his starring role in Cats alongside Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench, and James Corden. But this month, the actor has made headlines after testing positive for COVID-19, or coronavirus. "This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus. Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I'm doing No panic," he said in a video message.
After fans noticed the woman by his side in the clip, he returned to social media to thank and praise his wife, Sabrina Dhowre, for sticking with him during this uncertain time—especially considering the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages those who test positive to remain isolated from others.
“Just for clarification, Sabrina wanted to be by my side, you know. As much as we talked about her not coming to where I am she did and wanted to, and I love her even more for it and I would do the same for her,” he said. “Who am I to turn down my wife’s support?”
While we wish him a speedy recovery, we wanted to learn more about Dhowre. The couple, who were featured on the summer cover of British Vogue in July, married in April 2019—in a stunning three-day Moroccan affair, no less—and take every opportunity to fawn over each other. “Sabrina has deepened friendships with people I’ve known longer than [her], nurturing the best side of me to make me connect to my friends more,” Elba confessed to Vogue.
Elba, 47, and Dhowre, 29, met at a jazz bar when People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2018 was filming The Mountain Between Us in Vancouver. He says it was “love at first sight” and that once they locked eyes, all bets were off. Details about the couple’s relationship are a cinch to dig up; the two, though relatively private, are actually very open about celebrating their love for each other, be it on morning shows, the pages of magazines, or their own social media accounts. But there’s more to Sabrina Dhowre than being just the gorgeous brunette married to the star of Luther. Below, we’re getting to know Dhowre on a deeper level.
Sabrina Dhowre is a beauty queen.
Though her roots lie in East Africa, Sabrina Dhowre calls Vancouver home. In 2014, she competed in the Ms. and Mr. Vancouver Pageant. You read that right—our neighbors to the north crown both a female and male winner to close their competition. Dhowre and Canadian Walt Yao were the victors. You can see Dhowre crowned Miss Vancouver in the video, posted by Yao to YouTube, below.
She met Idris Elba in Canada while he was filming The Mountain Between Us.
British Vogue, who featured the newlyweds on its July bridal cover this year, quoted Elba as saying, the couple’s spark was “love at first sight.” That first sight happened in 2017: They were both at a jazz bar in Vancouver, where Elba was filming his survival tale, The Mountain Between Us, co-starring Kate Winslet, when he “locked eyes” with Dhowre. The two have “been literally inseparable since,” Elba told the publication.
A man of his word, Elba walked the red carpet with his brand-new girlfriend just months later in September at the Toronto International Film Festival. He was there promoting two films, The Mountain Between Us and Molly’s Game, but adoring fans were really more interested in his dating game. After the actor, who’s been married twice before, told Essence magazine in summer 2017 that he had no intentions of ever tying the knot again, it seemed Dhowre just may be the catalyst for a change of heart. Well, spoiler, she was. Here he is below cleverly dropping hints about the “beauty” he found in Canada.
She’s literally Idris Elba’s Instagram profile photo.
Elba is pretty active on Instagram, posting about his projects, his deejaying gigs, and, of course, the love of his life. But his social PDA goes further than just one-off posts. Read: He went full-blown romantic with the very aesthetics of his page. Rather than show off his own mug, he’s dedicated that little circle to putting his bride on display. Dhowre’s face is literally Elba’s profile pic. Swoon.
Sabrina Dhowre got engaged at a movie theater.
Elba proposed during a screening of his directorial debut, Yardie, at an East London theater called Rio Cinema. Fittingly, he got down on one knee just five days before Valentine’s Day. “Still 5 days to Valentines Day but @idriselba went down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend live on stage this morning before a preview of his film #Yardie,” the theater wrote on Twitter.
ABC News posted video of the actual event. Get a peek here.
Dhowre and Elba's wedding was on April 26, 2019.
April 26, 2019, is a day which will live in infamy, as it’s the day Elba admirers had their dreams shattered. Dhowre took the Hobbs & Shaw star off the market. And she did so in style. Over the course of their Moroccan affair, the pair said their vows, celebrated with friends and family, and looked terrific doing it. In case you’re curious, Dhowre went with custom Vera Wang for her big day. Because, obviously.
Her family is from East Africa.
Born in the United States, Dhowre is of Somali descent. Her mother, Maryam Egal, pictured below, now resides in Burnaby, British Columbia. Dhowre’s Prince Charming, of course, is a British actor with roots in West Africa (his father was from Sierra Leone, his mother Ghana). And according to Dhowre’s Instagram account, it looks like she and her new husband spend the majority of their time in his native United Kingdom.
Sabrina Dhowre’s a model.
Dhowre knows how to work the camera. In addition to walking a number of red carpets, she was featured recently in a fashion spread for Harrods Magazine. Her showing at the Met Gala this year was, in a word, yowza. Rocking head-to-toe rose gold, the model stunned in a Versace bodycon number.
And she killed it on the runway at a Rolan Mouret show in shimmery blue.
She plans to use her newfound fame for doing good.
During an interview for the aforementioned cover spread of Harrods Magazine, she said sudden fame was never in her plans but that she intends to use the platform as a “force for good.”
And it looks like she’s doing just that. For Elba’s 47th birthday in September, Dhowre forewent flashy gifting splashed all over social media and instead decided to give back to her community. “So we went to the streets of Brixton and raised money for the @brixtonsoupkitchen,” she wrote on Instagram.
Her friend group includes the Hadid sisters and fashion royalty Anna Wintour.
We believe there is an unspoken rule: If you are lucky enough to snap a photo with enduring fashion legend Anna Wintour, you stat-post that photo of enduring fashion legend Anna Wintour. Dhowre must know this, as Wintour graces her feed.
In addition to photos of a close group of friends Dhowre calls her “three amigos,” there is also evidence that her squad has bloomed to include a few very famous supermodels. Namely, Bella and Gigi Hadid. Photo evidence here.
Keep your eyes peeled for Sabrina and Idris to walk the red carpet together at the 2020 Golden Globes.
Last year, Dhowre and Elba hit the Golden Globes red carpet, along with Elba’s daughter Isan Elba, who was chosen as Miss Golden Globe 2019. This year, Elba’s fuzzy spectacle, Cats, was nominated for one Golden Globe Award, Best Original Song (written by Taylor Swift). But even though the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t pounce on the musical adaptation for acting nods, we are hopeful Elba and Dhowre will be invited to walk the carpet.
Cats crawls into theaters on December 20.
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DeAnna Janes is a freelance writer and editor for a number of sites, including Harper’s BAZAAR, Tasting Table, Fast Company and Brit + Co, and is a passionate supporter of animal causes, copy savant, movie dork and reckless connoisseur of all holidays. A native Texan living in NYC since 2005, Janes has a degree in journalism from Texas A&M and got her start in media at US Weekly before moving on to O Magazine, and eventually becoming the entertainment editor of the once-loved, now-shuttered DailyCandy. She’s based on the Upper West Side.
