I know Freddie Highmore from his sublime performance as Norman Bates in Bates Motel. If you didn’t see that series when it aired, you can watch it on Netflix. Freddie is currently starring on The Good Doctor on ABC, which premiered last year. I know several people who watch it, the ratings are through the roof, and so there’s some interest in his personal life. According to Star (I know!) Freddie, 26, hasn’t dated since he was with Dakota Fanning in 2009. Star claims he was hurt by Dakota and that’s why he hasn’t given it another shot. They also write that he’s awkward with women.
Freddie Highmore… hasn’t been on a date in nine years because he is still traumatized by his failed romance with Dakota Fanning!
“Freddie was a teenager then, and it didn’t exactly end well, as tends to happen with teen romances,” sighs a pal.” He tries to say he’s too busy to go on dates or try Tinder, but the reality is he’s scared of putting himself out there…
“Freddie is nerdy, bookish and has no clue how to socialize with women… It definitely makes his performance more believable!”
[From Star Magazine, print edition, March 5, 2018]
When I was in grad school I dated a guy who reminds me of the way Freddie is portrayed in this article. He was studying to be a scientist, he was thoughtful and handsome, but he was entirely focused on his studies and had difficulty with people. He told me he hadn’t had a girlfriend in six years, which sounded like forever to me at the time. Some people just concentrate on their careers or school and don’t make room for a significant other. Freddie could be like that, or he just might be dating and discreet about it. It sounds like Star is filling in the blanks based on his Good Doctor character and the few details we know about him. I’m glad we’re finally gossiping about him though! When Gossip Cop refutes this then we’ll know he’s arrived.
Should I start watching The Good Doctor? My mom loves it.
photos credit: WENN and Getty
He was brilliant in Finding Neverland when he was a child. Glad to see his career is going well.
Lobe The Good Doctor. Such a great show.
LOVE this show, never miss it. Great performances all around. Definitely catch it 😊
I love this show and I love him! Definitely try it!
Don’t talk about Freddie/Norman or mother will have a word with you. He can be homosexual, heterosexual or asexual…..he is a tremendous actor and I love him!! **his Bates friends call him Alfie, which suits him…I am a stan**
Don’t talk about Freddie/Norman or KITTEN will have a word with you.
But seriously, how good of an actor is he? I haven’t seen The Good Doctor yet but my god, he was on another level as Norman Bates.
I only want good things for him, which includes settling down (*IF* he wants to) with a good woman, but I also really hope his career stays as hot as it is now. He’s so immensely talented.
@Kitten
I agree, he was phenomenal in Bates Motel
Hahaha!! This is about my twentieth comment on him, so yeah, I dig him! I am not a fan generally of network tv, so haven’t seen The Good Doctor, but I had serious withdrawal when Bates ended, although the last season was thrilling yet freaky to watch. He’s the type of actor who will succeed no matter what. He doesn’t have the over-the-top ego that many do. I would love to see him act with Vera again. From what I read, Nestor directed a show on TGD. Loves him……
He’s adorable.
I would date the hell out of him and I’m sure thousands of women would say the same. There is no way he’s been single for that long.
He definitely could be single for that long if that’s what he wants. It doesn’t matter at all if multiple women would “date the hell out of him” if doesn’t reciprocate the feeling.
Yeah, if anything I like that a guy who is conventionally handsome is reluctant to date or uninterested in dating or struggles with dating. I think we think of people like that as being physically unattractive in some way, almost as to “explain” it. But really it’s just people being who they are. He’s entitled to do or not do whatever.
Absolutely. The guy is single because he wants to be single, full stop.
Thankyou. It sucks when you don’t date and people keep wondering why… in your face.
If he’s awkward with women I bet this article is going to seriously help his self-esteem. /s
I highly doubt he was “traumatized”, but I totally buy that he was focused on his work and realized he may be a bit under-socialized in comparison with his peers. Same thing happened to me, and it took some time to catch up and not look like a fool with men but I got there. I’m rooting for him to find happiness, he seems like a solid guy.
I have the same problem now – and I don’t know how to help it. I was studying, travelling, moving around all the time and I didn’t have time for relationships for years. I woke up at 28 and I have no idea how to change it. I even subscribed to 2 dating apps, but as per usual – those guys that I like are not interested in me and the other way round. I texted with a seemingly nice guy for some time, but he never proposed a meeting so it died down. And I’m useless in real life – small talk is my nightmare. Tell me your secrets! 😉
Girl you literally described my life, down to the number (28 for me too!). Ladies of Celebitchy, care to help us out?!
Live. Enjoy your life. If you are out there being yourself and having a ball, it will find you. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a few years. It wont matter how long it takes because you’ll be too busy kicking lifes ass to watch the calender. Its ok to be on dating apps too but I caution you to take it slow. Helps to weed out the fucc boys.
Your auntie Krill.
What Krill said. Enjoy your life, continue your travels. Twenty-eight is hardly an age to panic. Sometimes things happen when you least expect them. There are men who would love to have a woman who isn’t a chatter box. Maybe some of your female friends know some available men and can throw a party. I find in life, if you try too hard, it’s not going to work. Be you and he will find you and he will be the lucky one.
I agree with live your life on your terms and do things you enjoy. You never know when you might meet someone with similar interests. Also, talk to people that know you really well, they may know someone that is a good match and just haven’t put it together in their mind yet. Example: A close friend of mine kept dating dirt bags that were terrible for her. I had a family member that only had short term, superficial relationships for years because he didn’t want to get hurt again. I knew them both well enough to know that they would be perfect together, but it took me over a year to get them to agree to even meet each other. When they finally, reluctantly, agreed, it was worlds colliding. They both instantly knew they had found “the one” and got married a year later. Still together 5 years later and still madly in love.
I met my now-fiancé at the DMV when I was 30. I realized I was going to be stuck there for a while so I ordered a pizza delivered to me there. A kind stranger was sitting next to me and we shared a pizza while griping about the DMV. We just hung out for the rest of the day and have been together since. It will hit you when you are feeling most…un-self-conscious.
It seems like you have a fabulous life! Keep it up and love will follow. You have plenty of time. 🙂
Wow INAP: That is one inspirational story! You guys were definitely meant to be together. That is how I envision things, they just happen. I love your story, hope your love lasts a lifetime………..we met at the DMV so it just had to be!!!!!!
With what @Krill said
Also dating can be fun because it will help figure out what you want and are looking for. Some people are freaks but you can find a few good ones. Also they can introduce you or vice versa to new interests/experiences. And there’s always a good bad date story to share with friends!
You guys are all awesome, thank you! And I wish I was still 28 – I’m 31 now and kicking ass in my career with amazing friends and great charity involvement and blah blah blah. It’s the one area in my life that’s always always been lacking. Your advice helps, ladies. Thank you. <3
Norman Bates’s Mother, is it possible a man not be interested in you? Your comments are always outstanding.
Yeah, That “traumatized” business smacks a whole lot like finding a way to blame a woman because a guy is not being some voracious hound dog.
There could be all sorts of reasons why he isnt out there. 1) secret girlfriends 2) busy 3) hasnt met someone yet 4) asexual 5) demisexual 6) gay and still coming to terms with it and of course 7) maybe he prefers being single etc.
It’s possible. My brother-in-law is a very sensitive guy who got very hurt by his ex. He doesn’t want to open himself to be hurt again, so he just avoids dating. It’s been 7 years.
my only advice is one i got from Iris Apfel: to be interesting, you must be interested.
nothing gets people turned on like someone who is interested in them… so i say approach it like something you like/are interested in doing (art, research, knitting, eating chocolate), how you plan for it, investigate to see what you may like, then test it out to see if its something that works for you etc.
it’s a lot of trial and error but most of all its fun. my best times were with people i did not hit it off romantically with but enjoyed friendships after.
Ugh, have been doing that for years with nothing to show for it. Unless you count the time I dated a Klansman! Which I don’t. 😛 (He wasn’t really a Klansman, that’s just what me and my BFF call him. He was a garden variety white supremacist.)
Thank you for the help!
The Good Doctor is SO good, and Highmore’s brilliant in that role. The whole cast is outstanding. You need to get caught up, CB!
Yes watch. Also Bates Motel is on Netflix. If you haven’t watched, it is a must see, if only to watch Freddie and Vera Farmiga interact.
Vera Farmiga ♥ ♥
Thanks C-Shell I will check it out!
This reminds me of a joke some people made about the good wife and the good place. Both of those shows are good. I didn’t watch good wife for years because I thought it was like an old person show (but I actually am pretty old), and then when I watched it, I loved it. So, I’m thinking that after reading all these positive comments that I should check out this show too. Thanks for the rec, y’all!
Is not a bad show. Formulaic, but entertaining. I loved him on Bates. A similar thing happened to my oldest. He was jilted by his first love and never got over it. He socially meandered for years and threw himself into work. Seven years later he met someone, and it was like July 4th in Boston Harbor. They’ve traveled, hot-air ballooned, sky dove and moved into their first home two months ago. I’m thinking I’ll be a grandmother sooner than later lol. Some men are actually quite emotional, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and love is more than just a word.
Aw, that is so sweet. My 18 year old son has never dated and he’s starting to feel self conscious because his younger brother and friends all have or have had girlfriends. He recently said he didn’t think he’d ever find someone special, which made me sad. He’s on the autism spectrum, so I’m hoping like with most everything he’s just a bit behind everyone else and he’ll realize that he’s just as worthy of love as everyone else and maybe meet someone like-minded when he’s in college.
And since he’s on the spectrum, I’ve been afraid to watch The Good Doctor. Freddie was brilliant in Bates Motel, that was such an underrated show with great performances and bonkers storylines.
Maybe he won’t, and that’s okay too. Im about to turn 41 and have never been in a relationship. It’s not so important. I’ve also never visited the Great Wall or eaten shark. Dating is just one of billions of life options. There’s as many different kinds of lives as there are people.
Lovey, thank you for the reminder, that is very reassuring. All I want is for him to be happy, whatever that looks like for him. I think it’s hard for him to know right now, being surrounded by neurotypical social cues. He can really fly under the radar with his ASD and people don’t know why he puts up such a wall…he’s super personable and funny but too much interaction gets overwhelming to him very quickly. I have to remember that happiness takes many forms.
Esmom, I can remember well over a year ago when you posted you and your son were going to watch Bates together. I wouldn’t worry about him. As with the poster above, it will happen when it should happen. It’s nice to have a partner, but having one doesn’t validate you. As he matures, perhaps he can interact more, get involved in the community at some level. He’s good, he has a loving mother who supports him, how can he go wrong!!
Hi Nancy, How sweet that you remembered me watching Bates with my son. It was actually my other son who I watched it with, my older son doesn’t care for TV unless it’s a sports event, lol. Thank you for the kind words.
Hugs. I’m glad you came back to see your comments. You’re a fantastic mother and it shows in your words. My son is only 11, so watching television with me is out of the question! Just do you and I know your sons will excel. Some people you don’t have to see to know have pure souls…..
I hope your wish comes true about being a grandmother sooner rather than later. There is absolutely nothing like it. My little grandson is eight and a half and he is the joy of my life. Old proverb says, grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your kids.
@Esmom, that’s the hardest part, watching friends with significant others. My heart ached for him for so long, trying to help him stay positive and telling him when it happens it will change everything. It happened on a lark.. impromptu blind date through a best friend. She was moving out of town the following month, and they spent every moment together they could. She moved away for her job. I remember telling him it will happen if they are to be. Six months later she’s back… they couldn’t be apart. Yay! Your son will happen upon his true love.
@Carmen I can’t wait. I lost both my parents when my oldest was 5. It’s been my greatest pain both personally and for them not having them around. Two of my children never got to meet them. So I’ve been imagining seeing my grandchildren for the first time for a long time lol. I think I’m going to ugly cry, whadda you think lol?
I think you will have a complete meltdown the first time you hold your grandbaby in your arms but enjoy it because it’s the best meltdown you will ever have. After that, just enjoy every minute of it. Grandparents have the best of both worlds: spoil ’em rotten and send ’em home!
Mabs, thank you. As I said above, all I want for him is to be happy, in whatever form that comes in. He says he’s fine with being alone but I’m not sure I buy it. I know what it’s like to be lonely and it breaks my heart to imagine that for him, especially after I am gone.
Definitely give the show a watch! I watch it and love it. Was nervous about the concept and portrayal of someone with autism but he does it well and with respect!
CB you need to watch this guy act. He was absolutely brilliant in Bates Motel. I had always thought it would be impossible for anyone to match Anthony Perkins’ as Norman Bates, but Highmore not only managed to fill Perkins shoes, he actually stretched them by a couple a sizes. Perkins would have been very proud of this kid.
I imagine Highmore in real life is much the way he interpreted Norman Bates on the TV: sweet and quiet and nerdy. He’s really brilliant, took a double first in Spanish and Arabic at Cambridge, and speaks several languages fluently. He’s probably awkward socially because he looks so young. He’s 26 and he looks like he’s still too young to drive.
I hope Hollywood doesn’t change him too much. It’s refreshing to see a young actor who isn’t all about hit it and quit it.
Carmen, thank you for reaffirming my adoration of Freddie as Norman. When you’re rooting for a psychopath, you know there is some good acting going on.
Nancy, he was so brilliant in that show, he gave me goose bumps. I was so glad he didn’t do a copycat interpretation of Norman Bates. He made the part his own and he was so damn great in it. By the end of the series finale I was bawling.
It’s a travesty that he didn’t get an Emmy or Golden Globe for that role. Hands down the best acting I’ve ever seen on tv. And I’m probably in the minority here – but I actually thought Vera was the weak link, especially in their scenes together.
Brandy A, agreed. He really was overlooked for awards. I loved Vera’s performance at first but it did become increasingly one note. Not sure that was her fault, though, especially in the last season. On the flip side, Freddie was allowed to really grow and evolve in his role as Norman.
Yes, he is young looking. But now he is 26. I remember it like it was last year going to see Finding Neverland and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. 26.
I’m old.
Same. Time is a crazy thing. I was an adult (in legality if not in mind and spirit) when he was in those films and now we are both adults. We are only eleven years apart. Crazy!
Yes, that’s kinda how I imagine Freddie in real life, too, similar to Norman but without the devastating mental disorders, lol. And Norman actually knew hw to be sweet with girls/women when he wasn’t battling his demon/Mother.
Yes, he did. He still had that kind of endearing awkwardness, though.
I have a tender spot in my heart for Freddy. I had no idea he was 26! I hope whatever his issues (?) are, I hope he will find happiness.
Um, how nice of them to point out how awkward he is. Allegedly. Must make him feel so much less awkward?
Seriously. I hope he wasn’t traumatized but it does happen.
Anyway there is nothing wrong with being single and preferring to stay that way. I have hope one day that everyone will accept this.
The show also has Hill Harper, is produced by Daniel Dae Kim and we will see Will Lee Yun soon.
I mean, yeah, get on it.
I was just wondering what happened to DDK and Grace Park after they quit Hawaii 5 0 and hoping they are killing it. Good for him!
Sweetest child actor ever! He was adorable in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory & heartbreaking in August Rush. If you’re afraid The Good Doctor is anything like the insufferably smug Doogie Howser, don’t be. Polar opposites & I can’t stand NPH to this day.
Same Freddie. Same.
I gave up on nightime TV dramas long ago. Even so I have been watching Highmore’s show. He is very compelling in the role.
Of course he isn’t dating! This man has a double first from Cambridge speaks many languages fluently AND is a successful Hollywood actor!
No WAY is he dating a Kardashian! Or anyone of that ilk!
His future wife is probably in Africa finishing med school, and curing cancer while riding a lion! Give her a minute, will ya?! When she’s done solving world hunger she’ll be right over.
(He is a cutie! I would ride those blue eyes into the sunset and not come up til dawn. Rowrr ;-))
If you google freddiw highmore girlfriend you’ll find images of him on a holiday in brazil or somewhere with some lady. It seemed like a holiday for two and the accompanying article also stated that. So yeah, this is BS. He is just not public and in-your-face about his personal life. That’s okay. That having a crap magazine pick up a story about one, no-matter how wrong, means Freddie has arrived? I guess so.
Well, well, look at little Charlie Bucket! Maybe he’s a bit like Cillian Murphy in that aspect. Extremely well known for his acting career, yet a very private person. I’m ok with that, even if it intrigues me.
charlie grew up handsomely -sheed tears-
I dont know why but for me he is always look like kids. kind a strange watching him acted as young adult. maybe because his kid roles were left deep impression..
he’s really one of good young actor, isn’t he?
I have been a huge fan of FH since the Bates Motel. He was phenomenal as Norman Bates. He deserved an Emmy for that portrayal. You HAVE to watch the Good Doctor. I am honestly on doctor show overload. I can’t take another medical or legal show! I am sick of them. However! TGD is awesome and FH is excellent. If this is true about his dating…this breaks my heart. I know from interviews FH is borderline genius. He speaks fluent Arabic, Spanish and I forget what else. He seems like such a sweetheart.
I think that’s perfectly fine and we shouldn’t judge him for that, if that’s true. There are plenty of awkward people in the world, me included lol.
I didn’t know he was with Dakota Fanning until 2009 though??? That shocked me.
Don’t watch any TV but I remember loving him as a child actor.
Sounds like he has been focused on his studies and then his career which great. As long as he is happy and fulfilled, he doesn’t need a woman or a man to complete him. If he is even interested in that at all. And just because he isn’t dating, doesn’t mean he’s been not getting any action LOL Maybe he isn’t ready to commit, or heck, actually maybe he isn’t very interested at all, in neither
sex or romance.
At 26, there’s a lot of time left if he wants someone to share his life with. I wish more ppl were like him and not chase the illusion of only being happy when you are in a relationship or ticking off the “dating/married” checkbox off as per social pressures.
I just want to say that I woke up at 3am dreaming of eating a big Mac so now I’m in the kitchen eating snacks and leftovers while thinking how nice everyone is on this thread. You all are so supportive ♡.