Emma Thompson 'Humiliated' By Kenneth Branagh's Extramarital Affair With Helena Bonham Carter

Hollywood veteran, Emma Thompson recently recalled all that went wrong in her previous marriage to Kenneth Branagh.

The two-time Academy Award winner was married to the knighted actor in 1989 but split in 1995 amid rumors of infidelity on his part.

The actress shared that she was slow to see Branagh's infidelity, adding that she felt "humiliated" when she finally caught up with his actions. She also admitted that the actor's infidelity made her feel unworthy of love and took a massive toll on her emotional well-being.

She previously stated that she had forgiven Helena Bonham Carter, the woman, and fellow actress Branagh was alleged to have had an affair with and that her divorce was now a thing of the past.

Read on to learn more.

In an interview with the The New Yorker, Thompson delved into the sordid details of her infidelity-ladened marriage to British actor and filmmaker Branagh.

The two-time Golden Globe winner was married to Branagh for almost seven years, from 1989 to 1995. At the time of their separation, the pair claimed that their work schedules strained their connection with each other, forcing them to end their power couple union.

But several speculations hinted that the cause of the split was a secret affair between Branagh and a then-rising actress career. It was also believed that the actor was involved with other ladies he met on the set of his film features.

Branagh's unfaithfulness was one thing Thompson never expected, given their whirlwind romance which started after their appearance in the tv series "Fortunes of War." She shared that his affair took a huge emotional toll on her, making her feel "humiliated" as she watched her marriage go up in flames.

Although she did not disclose how she discovered Branagh's infidelity, Thompson shared that his acts went on for a long time before she finally got to know.

She said, per Daily Mail, "I was utterly, utterly blind to the fact that he had relationships with other women on set, adding, "What I learned was how easy it is to be blinded by your own desire to deceive yourself."

The actress continued by saying that the experience wrecked her self-esteem deeply at a time when she was meant to be soaring higher in her career. Overall, it felt like a fall from grace, from being confident in her womanhood to feeling unworthy of love and affection.

"I was half alive. Any sense of being a lovable or worthy person had gone completely," she added.

In no time, Thompson started to struggle with depression and was living alone following her separation from Branagh. Per The Guardian, she battled with several "voices in her head" during that "very rough" period and refused to seek professional help.

Fortunately, her fortunes changed with landing a role in the Oscar-winning adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, "Sense and Sensibility." The period drama in which she played Elinor Dashwood was also Thompson's first attempt at producing her own screenplay.

Diving deep into work, Thompson was able to forget her divorce troubles. She also met her now-husband Greg Wise, who she said saved her and helped mend her broken heart.

The couple shares a daughter, Gaia, who they welcomed through Vitro fertilization when Thompson was 39. They also adopted a Rwandan orphan named Tindyebwa Agaba.

Not one to carry a grudge for years, Thompson previously admitted that her angst towards Carter was a thing of the past. At the time, she also shared that the ordeal of her divorce was "all blood under the bridge."

"You can't hold on to anything like that. It's pointless," Thompson said to the Sunday Times (per HuffPost). "I haven't got the energy for it. Helena and I made our peace years and years ago."

In her interview with the publication, the actress also admitted that her breakup helped her get into character for her role in 2003's "Love Actually," which portrayed her as a woman who uncovers her husband's infidelity,

Thompson opened up about the role, "I've had so much bloody practice at crying in a bedroom, then having to go out and be cheerful, gathering up the pieces of my heart and putting them in a drawer."