Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio have been friends for 26 years after meeting on the set of Titanic, and have remained close ever since
18:00, 19 Jul 2025
Leo and Kate have remained close friends since they first met on the set of Titanic in 1997.(Image: Getty Images)
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s enduring friendship, which began on the set of Titanic in 1997, has become the stuff of internet legend. Videos of them meeting on red carpets often take social media by storm, making fans of the cult classic movie go wild.
Now, British actress Kate has offered a rare insight into their bond after more than a quarter of a century. Despite leading vastly different lives now, Kate revealed that they always prioritise each other’s phone calls, never putting off a conversation until the next day.
She shared in a Titanic featurette: “It’s instant. And that’s actually really something.” For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter.
The documentary Titanic: Stories from the Heart, was included on the bonus disc of the 4k Ultra HD release of the movie in 2023. It features interviews with cast and crew members like director James Cameron and Kate Winslet, as they reminisce about the challenges and their favourite moments from the making of the iconic 1997 film.
The film has stayed in the hearts of fans and over time has become a cult classic film.(Image: Publicity Picture)
She reflected: “To have friendships that bind you, and that shared history, it’s really something.”
The pair once again starred opposite each other as romantic leads in the 2008 film Revolutionary Road. The film follows a young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.
Kate and Leo’s friendship has weathered numerous personal relationships and family changes over the years. In fact, Leo even had the honour of walking Kate down the aisle in 2012 when she wed her husband, Edward Abel Smith the nephew of well-known billionaire Richard Branson. They got married just a year after having met, in a private ceremony in New York attended only by the couple’s closest friends.
In 2017, following the passing of Kate’s mother due to ovarian cancer, they united to auction a private dinner with “Jack and Rose” (their Titanic characters) for one fortunate fan. The event was part of the actor’s annual St. Tropez charity auction, and the dinner fetched $1.35million.
The proceeds were directed towards the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and a GoFundMe campaign of British mum, Gemma Nuttall struggling to finance her life saving cancer treatments.
Sadly a year later, Gemma lost her five year battle to ovarian cancer and Kate and hundreds of mourners attended her funeral. You can read more here.
Now aged 50, Leo resides in Hollywood and is frequently spotted enjoying nights out with his friends. The actor and environmentalist has gone on to star in many more films since his role as Jack, and has even won an Oscar for his role in The Revenant. Leo is a keen environmentalist and shares his passion for conservation and biodiversity of the planet on social media.
Meanwhile, 49 year old Kate resides in West Wittering, a coastal village in the UK, along with her husband and their three children Mia, Joe and Bear. Much like Leo, Kate also went on to star in several other films and won an Oscar for her role in The Reader in 2008.
Kate keeps a rather private life, however this year she was appointed as an ambassador for The King’s Foundation, an educational charity which was established in 1990 by King Charles III (the then Prince of Wales) to teach and demonstrate principles of traditional urban design and architecture.