Emma Watson packs on PDA with Oxford classmate

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There seems to be a new man in Emma Watson’s life. The Harry Potter star was recently seen packing on the PDA with one of her Oxford classmates.

On Monday, July 1, Watson was spotted locking lips with Kieran Brown, according to photos obtained by Us Weekly. Brown, per the publication, is said to the actress’ classmate at Oxford, where Watson is pursuing a Master’s degree in creative writing.

In the images, Watson and Brown were matching in blue button-up shirts. The Bling Ring star’s hair was in loose waves, and she wore a pair of white sunglasses on her head as she leaned in for the smooch. Brown had a gray backpack slung over his right shoulder, and at one point was seen gently caressing the side of Watson’s face. She showed off a coy, little smile while staring up at her reported new beau.

Emma Watson attends the Soho House Awards at DUMBO House on September 07, 2023 in New York City. In July 2024, she was seen locking lips with a classmate of hers from Oxford.

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

The actress, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Brown University, was last linked to businessman Leo Robinton. The pair had first been linked in October 2019, when they were seen kissing outside of a bakery in London. They sparked engagement rumors in 2021, which Watson was quick to deny at the time.

“Dear Fans, Rumours about whether I’m engaged or not, or whether my career is ‘dormant or not’ are ways to create clicks each time they are revealed to be true or untrue. If I have news, I promise I’ll share it with you,” she tweeted on May 17, 2021.

In 2022, Watson delighted fans when she revealed during the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts Max special that she had a crush on costar Tom Felton while working on the films.

“I walked into the room where [the cast was] having tutoring. The assignment that had been given was to draw what you thought God had looked like, and Tom had drawn a girl with a backward cap on with a skateboard,” Watson said on the special, adding, “And I just don’t know how to say it, I just fell in love with him. I used to come in every day and look for his number on the call sheet. It was number 7. And if his number was on the call sheet, it was an extra exciting day.”

Watson has previously lamented the impact of fame on her dating life. “Anyone I get photographed with is automatically my boyfriend,” she told Glamour in a September 2012 interview. “So, it just makes it look as if I’ve had, like, 6,000 boyfriends.”

She explained that is why she has chosen to keep mum about her dating life for the most part. “I want to be consistent. I can’t talk about my boyfriend in an interview and then expect people not to take paparazzi pictures of me walking around outside my home. You can’t have it both ways,” Watson told Vanity Fair in March 2017.