Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter's Relationship Timeline

Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter may have had one of the most eccentric partnerships in Hollywood — both professionally and romantically.

After meeting on the set of Planet of the Apes (2001), the couple collaborated on eight films, including Big Fish (2003), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

The pair never wed but had two children together, Billy Raymond and Nell, before breaking up in 2014. Though at one time, the couple famously chose to live next door to one another in London's Belsize Par rather than cohabitating, they did spend some of their relationship under the same roof — despite the rumors that they never lived together, which Bonham Carter called "a load of myth" in a 2015 interview with Red.

Though they worked together on many projects, and she has called her former partner "a hilarious man" with whom she "had a lot of laughs," Bonham Carter has admitted that their working relationship wasn't always pretty.

"There were times when working together was not harmonious," she said in an interview on Grounded with Louis Theroux, noting that filming 2007's Sweeney Todd was the only time the two were "argumentative as a couple."

From their many Hollywood collaborations to raising their two children, here's everything you need to know about Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter's relationship.

2000: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter meet while filming Planet of the Apes

Burton and Bonham Carter met on the set of Planet of the Apes in 2000.

Burton pursued Bonham Carter for the film. In 2012, the actress told Graham Norton that she had been in Australia when Burton called to offer her the role. "He said, 'Don't take this the wrong way, but you are the first person I thought of to play a chimpanzee' " she recalled. "I thought, he's never met me, but he's got me. Because he said, 'I've got this funny intuitive feeling … that you like to cover up.' And I said, 'You're completely right.' "

At the time of filming, Burton was in a 10-year relationship with actress Lisa Marie, who had a small part in the movie. Prior to that, he was married to Lena Gieseke from 1987 to 1991, while Bonham Carter was in a long-term relationship with actor-director Kenneth Branagh from 1995 to 1999.

Though there were rumors to the contrary, Bonham Carter's rep told the New York Daily News that the relationship started after filming, not during. "She has been seeing him for the last two and a half weeks. It is a baby relationship," the rep said in October 2001. "They're taking baby steps. It didn't start during Planet of the Apes."

July 23, 2001: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter make their red carpet debut

The two walked the red carpet for the first time at the New York City premiere of Planet of the Apes a few months before they officially started dating.

October 4, 2003: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter welcome their first child together

Bonham Carter gave birth to her and Burton's first child, Billy Raymond, in October 2003. The baby boy was named after both the actress' and the director's fathers.

Three years after his birth, Bonham Carter told The Guardian that her life completely changed after welcoming her son. "On the day Billy was born, it was like walking through a mirror and everything was Technicolor," she said. "My life had been very work-orientated, and all in close-up. Once I had the family it went into sudden widescreen."

December 4, 2003: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the Big Fish premiere

The actress lovingly looked up at her partner as they walked the red carpet for their second film together, Big Fish. Bonham Carter took on two roles — a foreboding fairy tale witch and Billy Crudup's love interest Jenny — while Burton directed. The film was released on Christmas in 2003.

July 17, 2005: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend Charlie and the Chocolate Factory premiere

It wasn't unusual for the couple to don black outfits for their red carpet appearances, and the London premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was no different.

The Roald Dahl adaptation featured Bonham Carter in one of her smallest roles in a Burton flick — she played Charlie's mother Mrs. Bucket. The film was released stateside on July 15.

September 7, 2005: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter release Corpse Bride

The couple attended the premiere of Corpse Bride at the 2005 Venice Film Festival.Bonham Carter voiced Emily, the titular bride, in Burton's stop-motion film, which hit theaters on September 23.

Six months later, the Addams Family director admitted that Bonham Carter was the only voice actor whom he made audition. "Maybe because I'm with her I was a little harder on her than I would be with somebody else," he told GamesRadar. "Nobody else had to audition, that's true. But Helena's cool about it. She's very secure with herself."

November 2, 2006: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter confirm relationship timeline

In an interview with The Guardian to promote her film, Sixty Six, Bonham Carter confirmed that her and Burton's relationship started after filming Planet of the Apes.

"Tim is very shy, and I was dressed as an ape all the time, so we didn't really collide," she said. She also noted that the first and only personal conversation they had during filming was about the London neighborhood Hampstead, where she grew up and where Burton had stayed while filming Sleepy Hollow.

She said it was a "complete surprise" when their relationship started months later. "But at the same time, it made complete sense," she recalled. "Lots of friends said, 'Duh, when were you two going to work it out?' "

July 3, 2007: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend Harry Potter premiere

The duo may have worked together often, but they were just as supportive of each other's individual films, like when Burton joined Bonham Carter at the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

August 2007: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter announce they're expecting second baby

Bonham Carter's publicist exclusively told PEOPLE that they were expecting their second child.

October 2007: Helena Bonham Carter opens up about fertility struggles with Tim Burton

Bonham Carter told The Telegraph that she and Burton started trying for a second child in 2005, but when she wasn't getting pregnant, she tried alternative methods like acupuncture and the fertility drug Clomid, resulting in unwanted side effects. Though they discussed in vitro fertilization, the Enid star got pregnant naturally, learning they were expecting again while filming Sweeney Todd.

"I was working so hard at the time. The first three months being pregnant while filming, I felt totally spaced out," she said. "You do need to multi-task with acting. You've got to remember your marks, your lines, singing, everything, and actually — you have no brain! Suddenly your own brain is growing another person's brain, so yours goes defunct. It wasn't ideal, but then I was so happy to be pregnant."

December 15, 2007: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter welcome their second child

The couple's second child was born in London on Dec. 15, 2007.

"They are absolutely delighted they have a daughter," the actress's rep told PEOPLE. "It's a lovely Christmas present for the family."

Shortly before giving birth, Bonham Carter and Burton learned they received Golden Globe nominations for Sweeney Todd — Bonham Carter for best actress and Burton for best director — while at the doctor's office.

"We were talking about inducing, and Tim got a call from his assistant," Bonham Carter told PEOPLE of the moment she learned of her Globe nomination. "I do look like a globe, so it's kind of funny. I am very round."

January 6, 2008: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter fight nepotism rumors

While promoting Sweeney Todd ahead of its release, Bonham Carter told The Guardian that she isn't simply gifted parts by Burton — she works for them. In particular, Stephen Sondheim, who wrote Sweeney Todd's music and lyrics, had the final say over the role.

She made a similar comment 12 years later. "I never got a free ride with Tim because I was sleeping with him," Bonham Carter told The Guardian. "I was always auditioning. And I gave him two kids and everything!" she joked.

January 10, 2008: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter join Johnny Depp for London premiere of Sweeney Todd

The director and the actress posed for photos with frequent collaborator Johnny Depp at the premiere of Sweeney Todd in London. Depp, a godparent to the couple's children, was often caught in the middle of Burton and Bonham Carter's creative spats on set.

"Johnny was caught in the middle," the Fight Club actress explained to Louis Theroux in 2020. "In the end, I realized I shouldn't really have any good ideas. If I had a good idea I should give it to Johnny. If I gave it to Johnny, Johnny would mention it to Tim and then it was a marvelous idea. If I mentioned it, it would be an absolutely crap idea. We worked our way through it."

Bonham Carter said that their strained on-set relationship was unusual. "We weren't actually very argumentative as a couple except on Sweeney," she added. "It might have been the subject matter, you know, Tim sort of identified with Sweeney and I was playing Mrs. Lovett."

January 18, 2008: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter share details about newborn daughter and living in two separate houses

When her daughter was only a month old, Bonham Carter shared some sweet details about her newborn, who didn't yet have a name.

"She's very chilled, with lots of hair, and I'm totally in love. I even loved the birth," she told the Evening Standard. "I'd do it again in a flash. I just got the drugs, sat back, and enjoyed it. It was all so casual that she didn't even cry when she came out."

The actress said that giving birth at St. Mary's Hospital in London felt like Christmas. "The happiest days of my life have been spent in that hospital," she said, adding that since welcoming her daughter, she was "on breastfeeding duty, trying to think of a name."

She also once again discussed the couple's unusual living situation with the outlet. "In any relationship, after the first year is over, you can't help but want your own space," she explained. "We have different telly tastes and both work from home. But things obviously aren't that bad between us, or I wouldn't have gotten [pregnant], would I? I'm very happy."

August 5, 2008: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter reveal daughter's name

Seven months after their daughter's birth, Bonham Carter and Burton revealed her name. In an interview with The Jewish Journal, Bonham Carter shared that they landed on Nell, a diminutive of Helen, in honor of "all the Helens in the family." In addition to Helena Bonham Carter, her mother is Elena and her grandmother was Helene.

March 2010: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter discuss raising Billy-Ray

While promoting the release of Alice in Wonderland, Bonham Cartersaid she was reliving childhood with her son. "Wave wands and pretend … that's all he does," the actress said of then-6-year-old Billy-Ray. "So I'm growing up with him again, and we've got a lot to talk about.

At the time, Bonham Carter had said Burton hadn't discussed if she would be cast in his next film — though she ultimately was — and was more concerned with his post-Alice return home.

"What I just want to know is if he's coming home now for the babies … Because we've been separated for six or seven months," she said. "He's been stuck in his room drawing and directing and animating all this time."

November 30, 2010: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter open up about their "titles"

In an interview with Vulture, Bonham Carter was asked how she refers to Burton since they're not married. She replied, "I don't know; I haven't got a satisfactory word! Father of my bastards, perhaps?"

February 14, 2011: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter celebrate her win at the 2011 BAFTAs

Bonham Carter won best supporting actress for The King's Speech at the 2011 BAFTAs, and she thanked her longtime partner for his love and support in her acceptance speech.

"And then finally, Tim Burton, who is my genius, and thank you for the big-headed queen," she said, referencing her Alice in Wonderland role. "And thank you for making the eighth and ninth wonders of the world that are our children."

May 9, 2012: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the premiere of Dark Shadows

In May 2012, Burton and Bonham Carter attended the U.K. premiere of Dark Shadows in London. Dark Shadows was the last film Burton directed Bonham Carter in, but it wasn't their last project together. Burton produced the 2016 sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, in which Bonham Carter reprised her role as the Red Queen.

November 29, 2012: Helena Bonham Carter explains her "completely traditional" relationship with Tim Burton

During an appearance on the Graham Norton Show, Bonham Carter said that despite what many think, her and Burton's relationship was "completely traditional" — save for their holidays. The actress described Burton's "complete creative control" over their first Christmas tree of theirs, "which looked all great, but as you looked close, you realized there were some zombies and dead babies … He's sick, he's obviously a sick man."

Norton also asked for clarity about their housing situation, asking if in reality, they just lived in "a big house."

"We have a big house. We did have little ones and now it just looks like a big house which has no interior design constancy whatsoever. There's a bit that looks like me, which is tasteful," she joked, "and his which is bizarre … everybody seems to make us more interesting than we actually are."

October 2013: Helena Bonham Carter denies cheating rumors after Tim Burton is allegedly photographed with another woman

In October 2013,the Daily Mail published photos that appeared to show Burton kissing a blonde woman after a screening of The Wicker Man. However, Bonham Carter quickly denied rumors of an affair, with her rep telling E! News, "This is absolutely nonsense. The pictures were taken whilst they were out and the large group includes family, friends and work colleagues."

June 2014: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion with their children

It was a family affair in Florida, where the couple brought their kids to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.

December 23, 2014: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter separate

Bonham Carter's rep exclusively told PEOPLE that the pair had "separated amicably earlier this year and have continued to be friends and co-parent their children." The rep added that the exes asked for respect of privacy for themselves and their children.

September 2015: Helena Bonham Carter opens up about split from Tim Burton

Speaking about her breakup for the first time publicly, the Alice Through The Looking Glass star told Red magazine, "I could write a thesis on what's happened. [I]t is all-absorbing when a relationship breaks down, but I think we're coming through it."

Bonham Carter went on to say that she still valued her relationship after its ending. "I think we'll have something very precious still," she said. "Our relationship was always somewhat special, and I think it'll always remain special."

She added, "We did find each other. And really, the mark of a successful relationship shouldn't be whether you're there forever after. Sometimes you're not meant to be forever together. Sometimes you have to come to terms with the fact that that was it. But that was a gift, a massive gift. We gave each other children and a lot more else."

May 2016: Helena Bonham Carter reflects on her "divorce" from Tim Burton

Though they were never officially married, the actress reflected on her and Burton's split as a "divorce."

"With divorce, you go through massive grief — it is a death of a relationship, so it's utterly bewildering. Your identity, everything, changes," she told Harper's Bazaar.

The Crown actress admitted she considered sticking "handle with care" tape across her forehead following the split to warn people, "I'm not myself at the moment, so be careful."

October 2019: Helena Bonham Carter discusses moving on after her split from Tim Burton

The actress shared that she had moved on during an interview with Harper's Bazaar UK five years after she and Burton split.

"You break up, you grieve, you get bored of grieving, and then you finally move on," she said. "I'm very happy with someone else. It's been a bit of unexpected magic in my life."

At the time, Bonham Carter's new beau was Rye Dag Holmboe, who is 21 years her junior and whom she called "magic."

October 31, 2020: Helena Bonham Carter looks back at her relationship with Tim Burton

While chatting with The Guardian, Bonham Carter looked back at her and Burton's earliest days and discussed their current co-parenting dynamic.

"It's taken us some time to adjust, but I think it's really very good now. And the kids are fine, they get to have a dual life. At first, it's a horrible thing to get used to, not having your children around [when you share custody]. The cruelty of divorce is extraordinary. But then you get to a point where you're like, 'Oh, I get this week off!' Some parts are very much to be recommended," she shared.

Though she wouldn't reveal the exact reason they split for the sake of their children, she did say, "I didn't leave, put it that way."

April 6, 2021: Helena Bonham Carter says she thought Tim Burton was going to propose to her

Though she has said they never felt the need to marry, Bonham Carter admitted that she once thought Burton would propose to her.In an essay for Harper's Bazaar UK, she wrote about Alice in Wonderland and her relationship with the director.

"Back in 2008, my ex Tim Burton asked me to have a meeting at his office. This was unusual, for, at the time, I shared a home with him and our two young children down the other end of the road," she wrote. "What was so important that he couldn't ask me over Cheerios? Seated at his desk, he announced quite formally: 'I have something very important to ask you.' "

"At this point I thought he was going to ask me to marry him," she continued. " 'I wonder if you would consider playing the Red Queen in my film of Alice In Wonderland?' and before I could respond, he shoved a sketch toward me. 'Look, it's got to be you because I've drawn you without intending to.' It was a sketch of an overly large-headed scowling queen. Frankly, this was better than a marriage proposal."

December 13, 2022: Helena Bonham Carter recalls "painful" Tim Burton breakup

Bonham Carter went into "mourning" after her split from Burton, which she again referred to as a "divorce."

"I went through a very painful divorce," she said. "It was a long-lasting thing. That's the other thing, it's not that finite. It never ends. Even if you divorce somebody, it's a kind of marriage if you have children with them. The relationship has to change. It's a very complicated thing how to share the children."