Jane Seymour recalls the time she once ‘married’ Freddie Mercury

Jane Seymour took a trip down memory lane when she recalled the time she once ‘married’ rock legend Freddie Mercury back in 1985 onstage in front of thousands of people. 

The 75-year old spoke about the little-known Fashion Aid event on a recent TikTok  that took place at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“They decided I should be Freddie Mercury’s bride,” she said.  She then detailed her bridal gown designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. “So, I’m backstage. I show up – quiet, innocent, English actress… they did my hair really huge, they put me in this extraordinary gown that I could barely walk in.”

“They put a wreath of flowers around my head that to this day, I remember the migraine. And a huge bouquet that I could barely carry.”

“I remember at one point I’m backstage and suddenly, I think I’m flanked by David Bowie, Boy George, and Freddie Mercury. I think they looked right through me,  which was hard to do, considering the amount of hair and glamour they had put in to. I was, you have to understand, I was as bridal as you could ever get,” she added. 

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“Freddie’s just prancing off doing Freddie Mercury and I’m supposed to be his bride, so I’m like running behind like crazy and as fast as I can — this huge dress, with this headdress that’s killing me, and the flowers I can barely carry, but with a smile on my face,” she said. 

She then went onto describe the moment they kissed. “And Freddie just suddenly turns into, like, the groom – and he kisses me! He kisses me. Right in front of everyone.”

“And then he grabs my flowers, and he looks at the audience, and he throws them. This thing – if it hit somebody, it could seriously have hurt them.”

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Jane recalled the moment as one of her ‘greatest memories of her life’: “It was an absolutely sublime moment, and I think one of the great memories of my life was being Freddie Mercury’s wife,” she added. 

Offstage, Jane has been married four times to most notably to actor/director James Keach. Her husbands were Michael Attenborough (1971–1973), Geoffrey Planer (1977–1978), David Flynn (1981–1992), and James Keach (1993–2015). She has four children from her marriages to David and James. 

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Jane has stated that all her divorces were initiated by her ex-husbands, often leaving her in difficult financial or emotional situations. As of 2025, she has been in a relationship with musician John Zambetti. 

Freddie Mercury never legally married, but he famously referred to his long-term partner and close friend, Mary Austin, as his “only true friend” and common-law wife. They met in 1969 and remained close for his entire life, with Freddie leaving her his London home and the majority of his estate,

Speaking about his relationship with Mary, Freddie once said: “I might have all the problems in the world but I have Mary and that gets me through. I still see her every day and I am as fond of her now as I have ever been. I’ll love her until I draw my last breath.”