Kiwi actress shares how ex-boyfriend Heath Ledger introduced her to her husband

Thursday, 24 April 2025

Kiwi actress Simone Kessell says late actor Heath Ledger introduced her to her husband.

A Kiwi actress has opened up about her relationship with Heath Ledger.

Simone Kessell said the late actor introduced her to her husband.

Kessell now lives in Sydney and stars in the TV series Yellowjackets.

Kiwi actress Simone Kessell has shared how her ex-boyfriend, the late Australian actor Heath Ledger, helped her meet her husband.

“I went out with Heath Ledger in the late ’90s. We were incredibly close. When we broke up, we continued to stay in touch,” the 49-year-old Yellowjackets star told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“He had an open-house policy for his Aussie friends who visited him in LA. I would stay at his place.”

Season 3 of Yellowjackets is now available to stream on Neon. New episodes also debut on Vibe on Tuesdays.

Kessell said Ledger was the reason she met her husband, film director Gregor Jordan, who directed Ledger in his first feature film Two Hands.

“Heath was the one who said I had the same sense of humour as Gregor. I met him and instantly dropped my guard,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I was completely myself for the first time. I was so relaxed around him, and then we eloped after three months and married in 2004. He is my best friend.”

Kessell is best known for playing Lottie Matthews in the TV series Yellowjackets. She was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia when she was 19.

Kessell told the Sydney Morning Herald she never thought she’d get married.

“I thought I was too cool for that. I never took Gregor’s last name, and then we moved to LA and I had a baby. That was a big turning point for me,” she said.

“We lived there on and off for 15 years and moved back to Australia during Covid. The boys are happy in Sydney and I go back and forth to LA constantly for work.”

Ledger, known for his performances in The Dark Knight, Brokeback Mountain and 10 Things I Hate About You, died in 2008 aged 28 of accidental poisoning from prescription medicine.

Yellowjackets season three premiered in February on the streaming platform Neon.

An earlier version of this article said Heath Ledger was a US actor. He was Australian. (Amended 5.10pm on April 24)