Love Actually fans ‘crying’ as ‘iconic’ scenes have been removed

The 2003 romcom is one of the most popular Christmas films of all time

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Popular Christmas film Love Actually is a firm favourite during the festive season, often topping the charts as the best holiday movie. The romantic comedy, watched by millions of people each year, follows a number of characters whose lives intersect amid the magic and mayhem of the holiday season.

However, it appears that the original script included more characters than we see on screen, and fans are now demanding that these deleted scenes be reinstated. It turns out that Love Actually initially featured a storyline involving the headmistress of the school where the final Christmas concert takes place, Anne Reid, and her partner Geraldine, played by Frances de la Tour.

In this subplot, Geraldine is terminally ill, and there’s a poignant scene towards the end of the film where Emma Thompson’s character Karen acknowledges the headmistress at the school concert, expressing gratitude for her attendance despite her recent bereavement.

In bonus DVD content, director Richard Curtis expresses regret over cutting this storyline, explaining: “You just casually meet this very stern headmistress, but later on in the film we suddenly fell in with her and you realise that, no matter how unlikely it seems, any character you come across in life has their own complicated tale of love.”

Fans who stumbled upon the deleted scenes on Youtube have been vocal about their opinions, with many calling for their inclusion in the film. One Youtube viewer said: “Not sure if it’s because I am a lesbian but it would have meant the absolute world to me to see this in the movie. We don’t have enough representation as it is and this short clip made me cry.”

Another fan wished: “My Christmas wish is to have a version of Love Actually where all of the deleted scenes were included”, while a third added: “What a wonderful scene! Surely this was far more deserving of some of the other scenes which made the cut?”

A fourth wrote: “Not the iconic Anne Reid being cut, put it back in please?”