Harry Potter's Evanna Lynch had a secret nine-year relationship with co-star

Evanna Lynch's Harry Potter character Luna Lovegood might not have been a love interest for any of the main stars in the series, but it turns out she was loved-up behind the scenes as she embarked on a nine-year relationship with a co-star.

Luna always seemed too focused on all things mystical and ethereal to be that bothered about love, and though a lot of people might think she would have been a good partner for Harry himself, he of course ended up with Ginny instead.

Evanna Lynch joined Harry Potter in Order of the Phoenix.

Warner Bros.

So Luna never got to play out a great love story, but her real-life counterpart found herself striking up a relationship in the Harry Potter world after she joined the franchise for the fifth movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Lynch wasn't the only actor to join the cast that year, as fans were also introduced to Robbie Jarvis - an actor who has since made appearances in the TV shows Casualty and EastEnders as well as the movie A Royal Christmas on Ice.

Jarvis was cast in the Order of the Phoenix as none other than James Potter - though don't be alarmed if you don't recognise him immediately.

Jarvis actually played a younger version of Harry's father, and was only featured briefly during a flashback scene in the fifth film.

In the short scene, Jarvis' character can be seen laughing as he uses a spell to disarm a young Severus Snape.

Though Jarvis didn't spend long on screen, his time on the set was enough for him to form a bond with Lynch which ended up lasting almost a decade.

After first meeting on set the pair secretly dated until 2015, when they decided to go public with their romance in a series of Instagram posts.

Lynch captioned a picture of Jarvis on social media in May 2015 with the words: "Happy 29th Birthday to this little babe!! Sweetest boy! Off to see a show together #happybirthdayrobbie."

Photos were also shared to Instagram from a trip to Hobbiton in New Zealand, where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed.

Lynch and Jarvis decided to go their separate ways in 2016, though they did remain close friends.

Speaking at the premiere of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Lynch said: "We're both vegans, so we go to a lot of vegan events together. So yeah, we're good friends."

In 2020, Jarvis made clear that their friendship continued into the new decade when he posted a picture of Lynch in honour of her birthday.