Anya Taylor-Joy reveals secret wedding – and unusual meal at the heart of it

Rachel Slater
·2 min read
Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae devour the 'anatomically correct' heart cakes at their wedding in 2022
Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae devour the 'anatomically correct' heart cakes at their wedding in 2022
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Anya Taylor-Joy’s secret wedding to Malcolm McRae involved “anatomically correct heart cakes”, the actress has revealed.

The Peaky Blinders star posted a clip from the 2022 New Orleans celebration to social media, showing the newly-weds with individual life-sized replicas of the human heart.

In the Instagram clip, Taylor-Joy and her musician husband crossed arms with each other as they bit into the gruesome cakes, complete with vein detailing – dripping blood (fruit syrup) onto the plate below.

She captioned the post: “Two years ago, on April Fools, I secretly married my best friend in New Orleans. The magic of that day is ingrained in every cell of my being, forever.

“N.B yes, those are anatomically correct heart cakes.”

The actress joked: “I am the vampire Lestat.” A reference to the fictional main character of The Vampire Chronicles novel series by Anne Rice, played by Tom Cruise in the on-screen adaptation.

The heart cakes featured vein detailing and appeared to be dripping with blood, which was actually a fruit syrup
The heart cakes featured vein detailing and appeared to be dripping with blood, which was actually a fruit syrup

The vampire-themed choice of cake is a spin on the popular love-heart shape associated with wedding designs, and is a nod to the actress’s horror film roots. In 2022, Taylor-Joy featured in thriller film The Menu, which hints at cannibalism.

McRae shared his own anniversary tribute to Taylor-Joy with a photo of the couple smiling on their wedding day. He wrote: “I love you now and somehow I always have and somehow it will never end. Happy two year anniversary (yesterday), beautiful.”

Taylor-Joy wore a Dior wedding dress to the ceremony in Venice, where Cara Delevingne, left, was among the guests
Taylor-Joy wore a Dior wedding dress to the ceremony in Venice, where Cara Delevingne, left, was among the guests

The couple held the first of two wedding ceremonies in April 2022. Following the secret service at a courthouse in New Orleans, they held a larger celebration at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta, Venice, in October 2023.

Celebrity attendees at the Italian ceremony included fellow actors Nicholas Hoult, Julia Garner and Cara Delevingne.

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A post shared by Anya Taylor-Joy (@anyataylorjoy)

Also in the social media post, Taylor-Joy shared a photo of her walking through a cathedral in her custom Dior tan wedding dress.

Taylor-Joy and McRae – a member of the band More – first met at the premiere of the actress’s Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit in March 2021.

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