But now single again, Hugh is clearly intent on making up for lost time - so much so that he has joined Elizabeth and her new husband Arun Nayar on a family holiday in the Seychelles.
Clearly unconcerned about playing the gooseberry, Hugh, who split from Jemima earlier this year, happily looked after Elizabeth's fiveyearold son Damian as she spent time with Arun.
Tender moments: Elizabeth rubs sun cream on Hugh's face
These exclusive pictures show Elizabeth and Four Weddings And A Funeral star Hugh, 47, are still very much at ease with one another.
At one point she happily perched on a beachside table next to Hugh's sunbed as they enjoyed a chat.
And later, 42-year-old Elizabeth, who has been reading the novel Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir, doted on Hugh as she rubbed cream on his forehead after he caught too much sun on the beach.
Elizabeth's choice of holiday reading may have been influenced by a link she shares with the book's illfated heroine, Lady Jane Grey, who once lived at Sudeley Castle, where Elizabeth married in March.
Elizabeth enjoys a relaxed chat with Hugh
Hugh is said to get along very well with textiles entrepreneur Arun, 42.
So when the couple invited him to join them on their holiday he was only too happy to accept.
"Hugh was completely relaxed joining Elizabeth on her family holiday-and it was clear from the way they were interacting that they are still very close," an onlooker said.
"Liz was with Arun and Damian for most of the time, but at intervals she got up to go and check on Hugh.
"At one stage she seemed concerned he had got burnt and rubbed some of her high-protection sun cream into Hugh's face for him.
"It was a great set-up because Hugh was able to look after Damian when Elizabeth and Arun wanted to spend some time together. The resort was absolutely stunning and they were all having a great time."
Tangerine dream: Elizabeth shows off her sleek figure
Elizabeth covers up with some sun protection
Damian is Elizabeth's child from her relationship with American millionaire Steve Bing and Hugh is the boy's godfather.
Friends say that Hugh and former Estee Lauder model Elizabeth talk almost every day, and the actor is a regular visitor to Elizabeth and Arun's home in the Cotswolds.
But when Hugh was dating Jemima, 33, he was forced to turn down an invitation to Elizabeth's wedding because his then girlfriend didn't get along with the bride.
Jemima was said to have disliked their closeness and was infuriated on one occasion when Elizabeth licked Hugh's finger during a dinner party.
Cuddling up on a sunbed with husband Arun
Elizabeth and Arun enjoy some privacy
A friend said: "Elizabeth and Hugh have always been close so it was very hard for him when Jemima didn't get on with her. It ultimately meant he got to see a lot less of her and that was hard for both of them.
"Now that Hugh is single, he's been seeing a lot more of Elizabeth and her family which he loves doing."
Perfect husband: on hand with a towel for Elizabeth
• The term "gooseberry" to describe the unwanted third party at a lovers' meeting dates from the early 19th Century. It is thought to have referred to a tactful chaperone who would busily pick gooseberries so romance could blossom nearby. Partridge's Dictionary Of Slang claims that the expression is a derivative of "gooseberry fool", while others say the way the fruit blushes on ripening compares to the embarrassed cheeks of an onlooker witnessing a lovers' tryst.
While Hugh stays in the water, giving the couple a moment alone
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