Who Is Jaime Bell, Evan Rachel Wood’s First Boyfriend, And Father of Her Child?

In the new two-part HBO documentary, "Phoenix Rising", Evan Rachel Wood discusses how her relationship with Marilyn Manson—which Wood alleges was abusive, a claim Manson strongly denies—marked the end of her relationship with her first boyfriend.

Wood, who was only 18 when she met Manson, was still with her then-boyfriend Jamie Bell, according to the documentary.  She notes in the documentary that when Manson kissed her for the first time, it felt as it was the first time she was ever kissed by a man, as opposed to a teen boy. 

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was in his late 30s when Wood says he came between her and Bell. She said then Manson approached her and began courting her. Soon the pair began a relationship. Last year, Wood, now 34, accused Manson of abusing and sexually assaulting her during that time. Manson has maintained that all these relationships were consensual. 

Manson filed a civil lawsuit against Wood and Ashley Gore (also known as Illma Gore) on March 2, accusing them of conspiring to cast him as a rapist and abuser, characterizations the complaint describes as “malicious falsehoods.”  Gore is identified in the complaint as Wood’s on-again, off-again romantic partner.  The complaint further alleges that Wood and Gore secretly recruited and pressured other prospective accusers “to emerge simultaneously with allegations of rape against” Manson.  Wood responded to the complaint yesterday during an appearance on The View, saying she is “very confident that I have the truth on my side and that and that the truth will come out.”

Wood has since become an activist, speaking out against domestic violence issues, but until recently had not publicly accused Manson. She testified in 2018 before a House Judiciary subcommittee about her experiences as a rape and domestic violence survivor in an effort to get the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act passed nationwide.

Manson has vehemently denied Wood's allegations, which he has called "horrible distortions of reality."  "My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth," Manson said.

Wood's first boyfriend, Jaime Bell, now 36, and Wood, both grew up as child actors. Bell is a British actor who starred in Billy Elliot in 2000 and “King Kong[K1] ” in 2005.

The former pair met in 2005 as they were both starring in the music video for Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends," Us Weekly reported in 2012. They then dated for almost a year.

They rekindled their relationship in 2011, following Wood's breakup with Manson. Wood claims in “Phoenix Rising” that she had post traumatic stress disorder following her relationship with Manson and says that trauma affected her relationship, the second time around, with Bell. 

While Wood states in the documentary that they were never officially married, the two had a vow exchange ceremony in 2012. Wood gave birth to their son in 2013 and the couple broke up in 2014. 

“At the end of the day, [our son] is our priority and what matters,” Wood told People in 2016.

Bell has since had roles in the 2015 “Fantastic Four” reboot and the 2019 Elton John biopic "Rocketman.” He married his “Fantastic Four” co-star Kate Mara in 2017. They have a child together, a daughter, born in 2019.