Gallery: Love Actually cast - then and now

Romantics rejoiced earlier this month when it was confirmed that the stars of Love Actually were reuniting for a sequel. Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson are all set to appear in the special ten-minute clip for Comic Relief, which will be shown on 24 March on BBC One. Martine McCutcheon, Andrew Lincoln, Lucia Moniz, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Olivia Olson will also reprise their original roles.

Titled Red Nose Day Actually, the sequel has been penned by Richard Curtis and sets out to discover what the original characters are doing in the present day. "I would never have dreamt of writing a sequel to Love Actually, but I thought it might be fun to do 10 minutes to see what everyone is now up to," he said of the spin-off. "We hope to make something that'll be fun - very much in the spirit of the original film and of Red Nose Day." Ahead of the sequel's highly-anticipated screening, HELLO! Online takes a look at the stars of the hot 2003 British rom-com, then and now…

Hugh Grant as the Prime Minister (David).

Since Love Actually, Hugh has appeared in some major films – among them Cloud Atlas, Music and Lyrics and Florence Foster Jenkins, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Off-screen, the 56-year-old is now the father of four and is in a relationship with Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein, mother of two of his children.

Martine McCutcheon as Natalie.

After a brief stint in the US, Martine returned to the UK and has made a number of appearances on British TV shows, including Miss Marple and Spooks. She is also now a regular panellist on Loose Women. Martine, 40, married singer Jack McManus in September 2012 and welcomed son Rafferty Jack McManus in February 2015.

Billy Bob Thornton as the President of the United States.

Billy Bob has appeared in a number of films since 2003 – including The Alamo, School for Scoundrels, Eagle Eye and Faster. He also starred in the first series of TV anthology Fargo in 2014, earning him a best actor Golden Globe. The 61-year-old US actor has been married six times and has five children; he has been married to with makeup effects crew member Connie Angland since October 2014.

Emma Thompson as Karen.

Now considered a national treasure, Emma has continued her glittering screen career in a vast collection of films, including Saving Mr Banks, Stranger Than Fiction, Nanny McPhee and the new Beauty and the Beast. She also appeared in the Harry Potter franchise with her Love Actually husband Alan Rickman, who passed away last year. Emma, 57, is married to actor Greg Wise. Together they have one daughter, Gia, and an adopted son.

The late Alan Rickman as Harry.

Britain lost a huge talent in January 2016, when Alan Rickman passed away from cancer. The 69-year-old will be remembered for films including Die Hard, Harry Potter and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. His final roles were as Lieutenant General Frank Benson in thriller Eye in the Sky and as the voice of the caterpillar in Alice Through the Looking Glass. Alan left behind his long-term partner Rima Horton. The couple first met in 1965, when they were just teenagers, and were together until his death.

Heike Makatsch as Mia.

German actress and singer Heiki found fame playing Harry's love interest in the rom-com. Prior to that she played Dr Lisa Addison in the 2002 film Resident Evil, and in 2013 starred as Liesel's mother in The Book Thief. Heike, now 45, was in a seven-year relationship with British actor Daniel Craig, which came to an end in 2001. She now has two daughters, born in 2007 and 2009, with musician Max Martin Schroder from German indie bad Tomte.

Rowan Atkinson as Rufus.

One of Britain's best-loved comedians, Rowan has enjoyed big cinematic success with his Mr Bean movie adaptations, and with his comedy spy Johnny English. His work in theatre includes the 2009 West End revival of the musical Oliver!. The 62-year-old has been in a relationship with Louise Ford since 2014. Prior to that he was married to Sunetra Sastry, mother of his two children Ben and Lily.

Liam Neeson as Daniel.

Since Love Actually, Liam has carved out a career as an action star in films such as Non-Stop, Taken and Unknown. He most recently appeared in Martin Scorsese's Silence, A Monster Call and The Lego Movie. In 2009, Liam tragically lost his actress wife Natasha Richardson when she suffered a skiing accident at the Mont Tremblant Resort. The couple had been married since July 1994, and have two children together, sons Michael (born June 1995) and Daniel (born August 1996).

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Sam.

Now 26, Sam is known for his roles as Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones. He also voiced Ferb Fletcher in Phineas and Ferb as well as John Tracy in the UK TV series Thunderbirds Are Go. Sam's popularity has further grown thanks to his appearances in critically-acclaimed cult films, such as Bright Star, Death of a Superhero and Nowhere Boy. He had a cameo appearance in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Olivia Olson as Joanna.

Olivia is now a successful voice actor, having worked with Love Actually co-star Thomas on Phineas and Ferb, and also lending her vocals to Adventure Time as Marceline the Vampire Queen. In 2013, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter released her first EP, titled Beauty is Chaos.

Claudia Schiffer as Carol.

German supermodel Claudia might have only made a brief appearance in Love Actually (as a potential love interest for Liam Neeson's character) – but she was never meant to appear at all. Writer and director Richard Curtis has revealed he didn't originally intend for Claudia to be in the movie, but he struggled to find someone who looked like her, so instead offered her the cameo role. It wasn't the 46-year-old's first screen appearance; she made her film debut in the 1994 film Richie Rich and also starred in the 2001 Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander. Claudia has been married to Matthew Vaughn since May 2002, and together they have three children: Caspar, Clementine and Cosima.

Bill Nighy as Billy Mack.

Since appearing in Love Actually, Bill has won a Golden Globe for his work in Stephen Poliakoff's Gideon's Daughter, and has appeared in a number of acclaimed films, including The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Pride, Dad's Army and Notes on a Scandal. The 67-year-old previously had a 27-year relationship with actress Diana Quick, with whom he has a daughter, actress Mary Nighy. The couple separated amicably in 2008.

Keira Knightley as Juliet.

Keira has gone on to enjoy huge Hollywood success, appearing in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and earning Oscar nominations for Pride & Prejudice and The Imitation Game. Her other film credits include Atonement, Never Let Me Go, Begin Again and A Dangerous Mind. The 31-year-old star has been married to Klaxons musician James Righton since May 2013, and they have a daughter named Edie, who was born in May 2015.

Andrew Lincoln as Mark.

Andrew has come a long way since 2003. The 43-year-old star has gained international fame playing Rick Grimes in the hit horror drama series The Walking Dead. Prior to that, Andrew appeared as Simon in the Channel 4 sitcom Teachers. Andrew has been married to Gael Anderson since June 2006. They have two children together, Arthur and Matilda.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter.

Another hugely successful British export, Chiwetel was nominated for an Oscar for his acclaimed performance in the 2013 movie, 12 Years a Slave. His other film credits include Kinky Boots, The Martian and Doctor Strange. The 39-year-old has received numerous awards and nominations for his acting, including the BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award, two Golden Globe nominations and the Lawrence Olivier Award for his performance in Othello in 2008. He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen in the 2015 Birthday Honours.

Martin Freeman as John.

Back in 2003, Martin was best known for playing Tim in The Office. But he went on to secure two roles that would boost his career even further: as Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit franchise, and playing Dr John Watson alongside Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes in the hit BBC series Sherlock. Off screen, Martin recently confirmed the amicable end of his long-term relationship with Sherlock co-star Amanda Abington, mother of his two children.

Joanna Page as Judy.

Welsh star Joanna would go on to appear as Stacey Shipman in the hit BAFTA-winning BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey alongside James Corden. The 38-year-old has welcomed three children with her husband James Thornton, daughter Eva, and sons Kit and Noah, and can often be heard as a voiceover artist in TV adverts.

Colin Firth as Jamie.

British star Colin went on to win an Oscar for his role in the 2010 film The King's Speech, and also earned an Academy Award nomination for A Single Man. The 56-year-old has also appeared in the Kingsman franchise, Mamma Mia! and Bridget Jones' Baby. Colin has been married to Italian film producer and director Livia Giuggiolo since 1997, and the couple are parents to two sons, Luca, born March 2001, and Matteo, born August 2003.

Lucia Moniz as Aurelia.

Prior to her appearance in Love Actually, Lucia was best known for representing Portugal at the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. The 40-year-old has released four music albums to date, and has acted in a number of Portuguese films.

Kris Marshall as Colin.

The success of Love Actually convinced Kris to leave My Family, the sitcom which had made his name, and he went on to appear in Murder City, surreal comedy Funland and US show Traffic Light. He also starred in a series of high-profile BT ads. The 43-year-old's biggest role in recent years has been as lead detective DI Humphrey Goodman in BBC murder mystery series Death In Paradise – although he recently confirmed he is leaving the show to spend more time with his family.

Elisha Cuthbert as Carol-Anne.

Canada-born Elisha is perhaps best known for playing Kim Bauer, daughter of Jack Bauer, in the hit action series 24. She subsequently appeared in The Quiet (2005) and Captivity (2007), and from 2011 until 2013 starred as Alex Kerkovich in the three seasons of ABC comedy Happy Endings. The 34-year-old has been married to hockey star Dion Phaneuf since July 2013.

Ivana Milicevic as Stacey.

Ivana started her acting career back in 1998 when she appeared in spy thriller, Enemy of the State. Since then, the 42-year-old has made guest appearances in a number of TV shows, including Seinfeld, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, House, Friends and Hawaii Five-O. In 2006, she took on the role of Valenka in James Bond film Casino Royale. Ivana's younger brother Tomo is the lead guitarist in Jared Leto's rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars.

January Jones as Jeannie.

American star January went on to play repressed housewife Betty Draper in the hit Sixties drama Mad Men, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. She also teamed up with Love Actually director Richard Curtis again in 2008 on the film The Boat That Rocked. January's other credits include X-Men: First Class and Unknown, while she currently stars in comedy series The Last Man on Earth. The 39-year-old welcomed son Xander Dane Jones in September 2011, and has declined to give any information regarding her son's father.

Laura Linney as Sarah.

Laura has received two Oscars nominations – for The Savages and Kinsey – since appearing in Love Actually, and has picked up a number of Golden Globes and Emmys for her work on the black comedy series The Big C. Her other film credits include The Truman Show, Mystic River and The Squid and the Whale. In 2009, she married real estate agent Marc Schauer with Love Actually co-star Liam Neeson walking her down the aisle. Laura, 53, welcomed her first child, son Bennett Armistead Schauer, in January 2014.

Rodrigo Santoro as Karl.

Brazilian actor Rodrigo has appeared in a number of movies since Love Actually, including Che, I Love You Phillip Morris, Ben-Hur and Rio. He also starred as Xerxes in the 2006 movie 300, and its 2014 sequel 300: Rise of an Empire. The 41-year-old was a series regular on TV series Lost, and last year made his debut playing android bandit Hector Escaton in the hugely-acclaimed first series of Westworld.