'Game of Thrones' Star and Boyfriend of 5 Years Break Up

Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams revealed on Instagram this week that she and her boyfriend Reuben Selby have broken up. Williams and Selby were together for about five years, and Williams was extremely open about their breakup on her Instagram Story. She even tagged Selby in the post to make it clear that their decision was mutual.

Williams posted about her breakup on Thursday, Feb. 23 in a now-expired Story post which read: The end of an era. [Reuben Selby] and I have decided to end our relationship. Since we met 5 years ago, our connection always extended deeply into our shared, and separate creative careers... And it will continue to do so. This decision is something we are grateful or as we can protect the magic, that we can't help but emit, whenever we put our brains together. P.S. no further questions, please, we must protect our children (my dog)."

Selby reposted that message to his own Instagram Story, adding only a heart emoji to affirm Williams' words. Selby is a fashion designer and an entrepreneur with a substantial following of his own. He and Williams took their romance public in 2019 and made it clear they were serious from the start. Selby was even Williams' guest at the wedding of Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas in France in 2019.

Williams has also modeled some of Selby's creations and worn them to high-profile events, including the 2021 Met Gala. Photos of the couple over the years have often been eye-catching even beyond Williams' celebrity status, as they seem to wear unique designer clothes on a day-to-day basis.

Williams is best known for playing Arya Stark on the HBO series Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2019. She took the role at the age of 12 and practically grew up before fans' eyes, and she has acknowledged the awkwardness of being a "child star" at times. Williams' performances were well-received throughout the show's run and she has continued to pursue serious acting projects since then.

Williams has since appeared in the X-Men spinoff movie The New Mutants as Rahne Sinclair, a.k.a. Wolfsbane. At the time, some fans hoped that that movie might tie into the MCU continuity somehow, but so far no plans for that have been announced. In the meantime, Williams has other performances in the works including The New Look – a TV series where Williams will play Catherine Dior. There's no word on when that will premiere yet, but fans can stream all of Game of Thrones now on HBO Max.