Actor Charlie Hunnam has been in a relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Morgana McNelis, for nearly two decades. While the Monster: The Ed Gein Story star has spent much of his life in the spotlight, McNelis prefers to lead what Hunnam describes as a “simple life.” Despite keeping their relationship largely private, the Rebel Moon actor already considers himself married to the jewelry designer.
The couple made a rare public appearance together at the 2025 Emmy Awards, marking one of their few red-carpet moments.
Jewelry Designer and Entrepreneur
Morgana McNelis is the creative force behind Maison de Morgana, a jewelry line specializing in rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces crafted from brass and white bronze. According to the brand’s Facebook page, the collection is described as “eclectic jewelry designed and inspired for daydreamers & make-believers.”
The line has attracted several celebrity customers, including Zac Efron and Troian Bellisario. McNelis has also designed pieces for Hunnam himself. In a 2012 interview with ELLE, the actor shared, “She told me she was making me a diamond encrusted ring — she’s a jewelry designer, not an actor — and I was like, ‘Uh-oh. This is not going to go well for me.’ But I love it. It’s so discrete and beautiful.”
Passion for Philanthropy
McNelis has partnered with the non-profit organization Naretoi, which supports Maasai women in Kenya through educational initiatives. In a 2020 Instagram post, she explained that the group, founded by her friend Rafaelle Abramovitz, works to “empower girls and women through education, relationship building and selling Maasai jewelry.” She has also contributed to food donation drives for Maasai families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preference for Privacy
Although she has ties to Hollywood through her work and relationship, McNelis chooses to stay out of the public eye. The couple managed to keep their relationship private for more than a decade before it became public knowledge.
After the relationship was revealed, McNelis faced online harassment from some fans. Hunnam publicly defended her, urging people to stop. “It has been brought to my attention that there is a group of immature girls posting a large number of hard messages aimed at my long time girlfriend,” he wrote on Facebook. “I would respectfully ask you to stop doing this. She is an intelligent, beautiful, kind person who just tried to live a simple life and has nothing to do with the entertainment industry.”
Life on a California Ranch
The couple shares a ranch in California, where they live away from the bustle of Hollywood. Speaking to 7 Nights magazine in 2013, Hunnam said, “My girlfriend and I just bought a ranch, so we are getting out of Hollywood completely. It’s in California. We’ve got 30 chickens and a couple of donkeys, a couple of ducks and we’ve got a big, organic garden. We are going to try to live a bit more sustainably.”
Hunnam Considers Himself Married
Though the pair has not legally tied the knot, Hunnam has expressed that he already feels married to McNelis. During a 2020 interview, he said he was “sort of indifferent” to marriage but acknowledged that McNelis felt differently. “She does not feel the same. She’s very eager,” he said. “I’ll do it because it’s important to her but I don’t have any great romantic feelings towards it.”
He later clarified his comments, saying, “I’m, like, so romantic, and the reality is I sort of consider myself married. I’ve been with my girlfriend for 14 years. I suppose what I was trying to articulate [is that] the official government sanction of it doesn’t mean anything to me but the romance of it means an enormous amount.”
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