Isla Fisher went without her wedding ring in her first sighting since revealing she had quietly separated from Sacha Baron Cohen last year.
The Australian actress, 48, kept a low-profile as she headed out in a dog walk in north London on Wednesday following last week’s shock announcement.
Fisher looked in the midst of an animated conversation as she took a call on her mobile during the stroll.
She was dressed casually for the outing in a blue floral midi dress, white jacket and sliders, with her trademark auburn locks swept back into a messy ponytail.
Last week, Fisher announced her split from Baron Cohen, 52, mere days after actress Rebel Wilson had accused the English comedian of harassment – which he denies.
Isla Fisher was without her wedding ring for a dog walk in London on Wednesday – her first sighting since announcing she had quietly separated from Sacha Baron Cohen last year
Fisher and Baron Cohen announced they had quietly separated last year by sharing a bizarre snap posing in tennis outfits on Friday
Fisher announced her split from Baron Cohen days after Rebel Wilson had accused the English comedian of harassment on the 2016 set of Grimsby – which he denies
It has since been claimed that Wilson’s allegations against Baron Cohen – which he has strenuously denied – were the catalyst for his marital break-up.
The Pitch Perfect star, 44, made shock claims about her experience with the ‘a**hole’ comedian in her memoir, Rebel Rising, claiming Baron Cohen told her to strip off when filming scenes for the 2016 comedy The Brothers Grimsby.
Days later, Baron Cohen and Fisher announced the end of their marriage – seemingly decided last year – with a bizarre picture of themselves in tennis outfits on Instagram.
‘After a long tennis match lasting over 20 years, we are finally putting our racquets down,’ the caption accompanying the picture read.
‘In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritized our privacy and have been quietly working through this change.
‘We forever share in our devotion and love for our children. We sincerely appreciate your respecting our family’s wish for privacy.’
Despite the news being shared in the wake of Wilson’s allegations, insiders close to the couple claimed that Baron Cohen and Fisher had been struggling with their ‘shaky’ marriage for years.
Insiders said Baron Cohen had reportedly struggled after making the ‘sacrifice’ to relocate their family to Australia back in 2020.
Meanwhile, a source told The Sun that Fisher was ‘starting to get embarrassed’ about the claims in the book, which acted as ‘a catalyst’ in her decision to announce their split.
Another source close to the couple added that the ‘decision wasn’t taken lightly’ and there is ‘still a lot of love’ between the estranged couple, who ‘remain incredibly close’.
The Australian actress, 48, kept a low-profile as she headed out in a dog walk in north London following last week’s shock announcement
Fisher looked in the midst of an animated conversation as she took a call on her mobile during the stroll
She was dressed casually for the outing in a blue floral midi dress, white jacket and sliders, with her trademark auburn locks swept back into a messy ponytail
Another factor in their marriage coming to an end that has since come to light was the death of Fisher’s beloved father Brian in January 2023.
Friends told The Daily Mail on Monday that his passing left her ‘absolutely devastated’ and made her ‘reassess her life’.
The Mail on Sunday revealed over the weekend that rumours suggesting their marriage was over began to swirl last year, when the couple began house-hunting in London.
For some years they had split their time between Los Angeles and the Australian city of Perth.
Fisher did not wear her wedding ring on the outing
However, Baron Cohen who grew up in Hammersmith and is very close to his family, was itching to return to London, while his wife was happier in her native Australia.
The disagreement over where they lived is said to have taken its toll on the pair, who had been together since 2001.
On Monday, Wilson further discussed the allegations she has made against Baron Cohen during a signing for her book at The Ann and Jerry Moss Theater in New York.
‘I don’t think I had anything to do with their divorce. His actions were with multiple people,’ she told the audience. ‘From what I was told they started the process over the past year. I think some of the headlines put pressure on him to announce it.’
She continued: ‘But I think Isla is an amazing person and the sad part of all that is I was friendly with her, not good friends but friendly, and the sad part of all that is after it all happened on Grimsby I didn’t talk to her ever again.’
Wilson concluded that she wishes the Confessions of a Shopaholic star, 48, ‘well’ and hopes ‘it’s going to be all right’ for her.
But, ultimately, she ‘really’ does not think their split has ‘anything to do with’ her.
Speaking on Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, Wilson insisted that she would never work with Sacha again.
‘No money ever. Yeah. I have a no aholes policy with work,’ Wilson insisted, as many in the audience applauded.
When Andy started throwing dollar amounts such as $20 million, $30 million and $50 million, though Wilson insisted she still would not work with him.
Fisher (pictured with her pet dog) said of her marriage to Baron Cohen last week ‘In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritized our privacy and have been quietly working through this change’
It was previously claimed that Fisher and Baron Cohen had been struggling with their ‘shaky’ marriage for years
Since news of Baron Cohen’s split, Wilson warned in an interview on Saturday that ‘the truth will come out’.
Representatives for Baron Cohen say he denies any allegations of mistreatment or harassment towards Rebel on the set of 2016 action comedy flick Grimsby, released in North America as The Brothers Grimsby.
Wilson says other women have ‘been in contact’ with her since she made the claims in her new autobiography, Rebel Rising. There is no suggestion at this time that the women are making claims against the Borat actor.
She continued: ‘It is hard to say something against somebody who’s high profile, because they hit you with high-price lawyers and crisis PR people and all sorts of little tricks.
‘It doesn’t feel great when all I’m doing is sharing my story in my memoir, which I’m very entitled to do.
‘But I always think that the truth will come out which is why it’s great to have the book out now so people don’t just read the headlines, but can read the actual chapter.’
The remarks, first reported by The Sun, come after days of frenetic speculation over Baron Cohen’s marriage after Wilson’s book was released.
She had played Baron Cohen’s on-screen girlfriend in Grimsby, a box office flop that was derided by critics.
The film saw Baron Cohen’s football fan character Nobby get drawn into the world of espionage; it also starred Isla, Mark Strong, Penelope Cruz, Ricky Tomlinson and Johnny Vegas.
Wilson claimed in the memoir that during filming he would ask her to strip off for scenes, in violation of her ‘no nudity’ clause, and requested that she perform a sex act involving his bottom on camera because it would be ‘funny’. Her claims have been dismissed as ‘demonstrably false’.
She wrote that his actions made her feel ‘completely disrespected, which led to me treating myself with even more disrespect by eating in an extremely unhealthy way’.
Bridesmaid actress Wilson said she eventually compromised and agreed to ‘slap him on the a**’ in an improvised scene, and agreed to it after several rewrites.
But behind-the-scenes footage released after the claims were made appeared to suggest she was on board with the scene – a suggestion she has vehemently denied.
‘It is an a****** move to release footage of one part of that disgusting episode while leaving out everything that preceded it,’ she said in a statement, adding that her ‘horrified refusal’ to carry out the act was not included in the released footage.
She added: ‘What this edited video shows is what I had to do in order to get out of the room, as written in Rebel Rising.
‘Releasing unauthorized and misleading behind the scenes video without my approval is SBC’s (Sacha Baron Cohen’s) latest way of bullying and gaslighting me.’
A source claimed that Fisher was ‘starting to get embarrassed’ about claims Wilson made against her husband which acted as ‘a catalyst’ in her decision to announce their split
Wilson appears to have alluded to the incident in the past, discussing similar circumstances it in a discussion with British TV personality Ant Middleton for his podcast Straight Talking in 2021.
She did not name any alleged harasser at the time. Asked if she reported the incident, she told Middleton: ‘I called my agent immediately and said this happened. We made an official complaint to the studio.
‘But I’m such a professional that I was like, well I’m still going to continue with the job. Which now I might not have.’
‘But I’m such a professional that I was like, well I’m still going to continue with the job. Which now I might not have.
She then claimed: ‘Things that happened to me aren’t that severe, but I’m still scared of naming the people.’
Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announced their split on Friday, days after Wilson’s claims were first made after her book was published in the US.
The release of the memoir in the UK and Australia had been ‘momentarily delayed by an a****** but not for long‘, Wilson said on social media.
The book’s publisher, Harper Collins Australia, told Yahoo Lifestyle: ‘Publication of Rebel Rising has been delayed but we have no further comment.’
A spokesperson for the actor previously said: ‘While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby.’
Wilson herself broke her silence on social media after the allegations first came to light with a video of herself posing in a satin green dress.
The Instagram clip was simply titled: ‘What a week! I need a lie down on the couch now… for real! Thank you so much to everyone who has bought REBEL RISING and is already enjoying it! Love you.’
Baron Cohen, meanwhile, was reported last year as preparing to take some of his best-known characters on tour, including Ali G.
A live stand-up tour featuring the character was said to be in the works as of August last year, with the actor reportedly testing performances of Ali G and Kazakhstan journalist character Borat at a comedy club in Sydney in 2021.
The disagreement over where British Baron Cohen and Australian Fisher lived is said to have taken its toll on the pair, who had been together since 2001
Wilson herself broke her silence on social media after the allegations first came to light with a video of herself posing in a satin green dress, along with the caption: ‘What a week!’
Wilson had previously hinted at working with a, ‘massive a-hole,’ in social media posts, which she confirmed was Cohen in late March.
She added that the aforementioned star had even hired a PR firm and was sending her threats, before she revealed it was Cohen in a March 25 Instagram post.
‘I will not be bullied or silenced with high priced lawyer or PR crisis managers. The ‘a**hole’ that I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is Sacha Baron Cohen,’ she said.
Before she revealed his identity, she hinted that her experience with Cohen had lead her to adopt a ‘no a-holes’ policy.
‘When I first came to Hollywood, people were like, yeah, “I have a no a**hole policy, means like, yeah, I don’t work with a**holes.’ I was like, “Oh yeah. I mean, that sounds sensible or logical.” But then it really sunk in because I worked with a massive a**hole and yeah, now I definitely have a no a**holes policy,’ she said.
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