Sophie Turner's life post divorce from Joe Jonas has seen Joan actress' career, friendship group and love life all blossom

Since announcing her divorce, British actress Sophie Turner has starred in a critically acclaimed series, befriended Taylor Swift and bagged herself an aristocrat new boyfriend.

Last month, the Game of Throne's star, 28, finalised her divorce with pop idol Joe Jonas , 35 - but things have seemingly never been better for the actress who has been hailed for her 'spellbinding' performance in the new ITV series, Joan, and has since picked up a number of new leading roles.

Sophie's performance in Joan marks her first onscreen appearance since her tumultuous divorce, with the actress pulling off what critics have described as a 'career-defining' performance.

The mother-of-two has been lauded for her 'remarkable' performance in the ITV show - which is about the real London jewel thief, Joan Hannington.

Her acting rise has been a slow burn; after breaking through in Game of Thrones at the age of just 14, it's taken more than a decade for critical praise to come her way.

And often it was her romance with Jonas rather than her acting ability that was in the headlines.

With the divorce now firmly behind her, it seems it's the Northampton born star's time to shine.

Joan, a crime caper set in the 80s south London, follows the story of Joan Hannington - dubbed the Godmother - a recently single mother cum jewel thief, who viewers see battling to win back her daughter from social services, all while growing her reputation as a criminal mastermind.

Sophie's portrayal has left viewers desperate to 'see her in more', and critics have equally poured praise upon her.

The New Statesman wrote: 'She looks to me like she's having the time of her life, and who can blame her? What a jewel of a role: a diamond as big as the Ritz.'

Reviewing the new show, another applauded her 'way with voices', adding, 'as for Turner, I could watch her forever'.

But while her performance was 'spellbinding', the circumstances of Sophie's personal life during filming were anything but.

Filming for the critically acclaimed series began in the UK in May 2023, just months before her relationship with Jonas ended.

In September 2023, the actress and her now estranged husband of four years, Joe Jonas, announced that they were parting ways in a joint statement on Instagram. The pair said they had 'mutually decided to amicably end our marriage'.

The couple - once regarded as one of the most loved up couples in the public eye - took one conflict-riddled year to finalise their divorce.

Sophie credits the team and cast on Joan for providing an emotional crutch during the tumultuous time.

She told Vogue : 'They were my emotional support people, my family. I really don't know what I would have done without them.'

The executive producer on the show, Ruth Kenley-Letts, praised Sophie for being 'an elegant powerhouse of a human being' during the difficult period.

The 28-year-old's performance in the new hit show starts with her as a 19-year-old single mother enduring a toxic romance - a situation not totally dissimilar to her own at the time.

Sophie has since said she used her understanding of motherhood to channel the characterisation of Joan in the series.

She told The Times: 'If I hadn't been a mother, I don't know if I would have been able to bring the same energy that I did into it.'

She added: 'I think I'm always drawn to the characters that have gone through so much in their lives that come out of it so strong, resilient.'

Though the actor said she usually bottles up her emotions, the new role left her no room to hide and Sophie found herself tapping into difficult feelings while filming, eventually allowing her to 'process' her own emotions, she said.

Reflecting on her performance Joan, Sophie told The Times : 'Joan changed me quite a lot. From utter desperation comes so much will and ambition.

'The series came around at a time in my life where I had to be ambitious and I had to have such strong will and fight against the forces. She gave me a lot of strength.'

The actress also admitted that she became 'swept away' by emotion as she filmed Joan, after kickstarting work on the series amid her separation from Jonas.

Sophie spent months battling with Jonas over the custody agreements for their children, daughters Willa, four, and Delphine, two.

The couple also had major disagreements on where their daughters would live full-time.

While the actress wanted to take them to her native UK, Joe wanted to keep them in the United States.

At one point things got so bad that Sophie filed a child abduction claim against Joe, though she asked the judge to dismiss it in January.

At the time, Sophie claimed the Disney Channel alum was violating international law by refusing to let the children travel to be with her.

Back in October 2023, Joe and Sophie set up a temporary custody arrangement after the Game Of Thrones actress sued him over his efforts to prevent her from taking their children out of the US on an allegedly pre-planned trip to the UK.

Eventually, Sophie was forced to drop her lawsuit against Jonas because the two had come to 'an agreed-upon parenting plan' in January 2024.

During the intense period, Sophie was also accused of being a bad mother.

As the formerly loved up duo attempted to finalise their split, sources emerged alleging that the breakup had been the result of Sophie's wild partying lifestyle.

Various sources who claim to have 'direct knowledge' of the situation briefed US gossip sites including TMZ that Joe was watching his children, full-time while on tour - while Sophie filmed for new series Joan in the UK.

They wrote: 'She likes to party, he likes to stay at home. They have very different lifestyles.'

Shots revealed pictures of Sophie downing cocktails and shots. Meanwhile, her singer ex was pictured as a caring father after he was snapped up by paparazzi dutifully looking after the couple's two daughters - all while balancing a Jonas Brothers tour.

A series of columns defending the actress - and questioning why Jo was being praised for looking after his own children - also appeared.

Writing for Vogue , Raven Smith said: 'Team Jonas is throwing a careless-mother narrative at proceedings and seeing if it sticks, sowing seeds of his wife being a less-than-gold-star parent.

'Nobody is saying out loud she's subpar; it's just heavily, heavily insinuated that her liking to go out clashes with his homebody status. It's very read between the lines, please, she is not mothering at an acceptable standard.'

'The misogyny here is so ridiculously stark. All these motherly expectations serve only to keep women repressed.'

Meanwhile, Smith's sentiment was echoed by other columnists, including Cassandra Green at Marie Claire , who lamented: 'women are allowed to party, cry, work and also be great mums'.

'There's absolutely nothing wrong with a mum that likes to socialise. Enjoying time around other people, or being an extrovert, is not a crime,' she wrote.

'Conflating Joe's custody of the children with the suggestion that Turner is a 'party girl' seems a little pointed.'

As women rallied around the actress, defending her right to a life outside of motherhood, Sophie emerged, saying she'd been through the 'worst days of my life'.

Reflecting on that period, Sophie recently told The Times: 'Mothers are judged for anything they do outside of motherhood. So if that ends up being a crime, my goodness, the amount of judgment is heightened tenfold.'

Sophie put her marriage behind her once and for all on September 10th, when her divorce was finalised.

Since the end of the couple's relationship, the actress has gone from strength to strength, appearing in a number of high profile films, befriending Taylor Swift and securing a new romance with an aristocrat.

She's currently dating British aristocrat Peregrine Pearson at the end of 2023.

Peregrine, or 'Perry', previously dated Princess Olympia of Greece and was described by Tatler as one of 'Britain's most eligible bachelors'.

The two were first spotted in October, and then in December, seemingly confirming their relationship the following month in an Instagram post where the two were pictured together on a skiing trip.

In January, a source told US Weekly that Sophie 'never expected to find someone she cares about this quickly'.

They added that the relationship has built 'a level of familiarity with him that makes her feel comfortable,' and 'things are going really well, and Sophie couldn't be happier.'

A sentiment she has since echoed in her interview for the cover of British Vogue, where she said: 'I'm actually the happiest I've been in a really long time'.

The couple have been enjoying each other's company around the world, with Peregrine accompanying Sophie to Paris Fashion week in May, and later that month, on a romantic trip to Capri.

The two appear to have enjoyed a sweet summer together too, with Sophie having shared a carousel of pictures to her Instagram which included several shots of the actor with an emoji of a sun.

And friendships are flourishing too, including with Taylor Swift. The duo were spotted dining at popular Manhattan eatery Via Carota in September 2023, the same month that the actress and Jonas announced they were divorcing.

Swift offered not only friendship, but a place to stay when she needed it most.

Sophie explained that when she needed somewhere to stay in New York with her two daughters Willa, three, and Delphine, 22 months, she asked Taylor if she knew of somewhere she could rent.

Without hesitation Taylor, who had dated Joe in 2008, offered up her own home in the Big Apple for free.

She told Vogue : 'Taylor was an absolute hero to me this year. I've never been more grateful to anyone than I am for her because she took my children and me, and provided us with a home and a safe space. She really has a heart of gold.'

Meanwhile, Sophie's career has flourished, with her esteemed performance in Joan the start of a string of several new leading roles.

The actress began her career at just 14-years-old, after being cast in HBO series Game of Thrones, where she played Sansa Stark, a young noblewoman.

Since then, Sophie has appeared in other roles including the the teen black comedy, Do Revenge and the thriller TV show, Survive.

But more recently, the actress has been appearing in an increasing number of high profile, leading roles.

And Sophie has also been behind the camera filming for other projects.

In May earlier this year, Sophie began filming another crime drama, Haven, alongside the Saltburn star, Archie Madekwe.

Another sign her star is in the ascendant? She had the cover of Harper's Bazaar Germany in January, and British Vogue in May.