How Kat Graham's Real-Life Love Story Is Even More Dramatic Than Love In The Villa
In the new Netflix movie "Love in the Villa," Kat Graham plays Julie Hutton, a hopeless romantic teacher. Julie embarks on a dream trip to Verona, Italy with her boyfriend Brandon, played by Raymond Ablack. However, the dream come true vacation turns into a nightmare when Brandon breaks up with her right before the trip.
Sadly, she continues on the trip solo and encounters one disappointment after another. The biggest mishap occurs when she arrives in Verona and realizes that her storybook Italian villa was mistakenly double booked and she has to share it with an arrogant stranger, Charlie (Tom Hopper), who is a British wine expert.
Out of the villa and in real life, actress Graham is most often known for portraying Bonnie Bennett on the CW series "The Vampire Diaries," (via IMDb). Off-screen Graham has had a pretty bumpy ride on the road to love, perhaps even more dramatic than the character she plays in "Love in the Villa."
Kat Graham has been engaged twice
At 32, Kat Graham has already been engaged two times. Back in 2012, she became engaged to her longtime boyfriend and fellow actor, Cottrell Guidry (via Glamour). Though the news was kept quiet, Graham said they weren't in a hurry to wed, "When you've been with someone for over half a decade, you feel married already. It's not a rush," (via Us Weekly). However, by 2014, the romance was over and the couple parted ways.
In 2017, Graham began dating producer and director Darren Genet, and in May of 2022, she again got engaged (via People). Genet is 20 years her senior and, oddly enough, also worked on the hit show "The Vampire Diaries," although the duo claims they never met on set while the show was filming.
When Graham was offered the role of Julie in "Love in the Villa," she didn't have to think twice, "Verona was already my favorite place in the world, which is also really strange," she told Entertainment Weekly. "I had had a break-up and we got back together in Verona. And then two years later, I get this film. My ex-fiance's name, he went by Brandon. I don't even call it a wink from God. It was more like a like an aggressive shove."
No word yet on when the wedding will take place. According to People, "Kat is madly in love and couldn't be happier."
To get the behind-the-scenes scoop on "Love in the Villa" from the stars themselves, check out our exclusive interview with Tom Hopper and Kat Graham.