A bride’s long-held celebrity crush turned real life when she married Arron Willmott, a man who bears an extraordinary resemblance to Scottish actor Martin Compston, famous for his role as Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in the hit BBC series Line of Duty.
Kelsey Willmott has admired Compston since the show first aired and was immediately drawn to Arron’s profile on Bumble in March 2021. His brunette hair, defined jawline, and facial hair caught her eye. They chatted for two weeks before meeting for a casual walk, and although Kelsey didn’t initially notice the striking similarity, it soon became undeniable as their relationship blossomed.
After three and a half years of dating, the couple got engaged and married on May 2 at a stately home in Somerset. For Kelsey, walking down the aisle felt like a dream come true — marrying not only the perfect partner but someone who looks exactly like her long-time crush, Martin Compston.
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This resemblance hasn’t gone unnoticed by others. Arron is frequently stopped by strangers who remark on how much he looks like the Line of Duty star, especially by women who share the same admiration. Kelsey’s friends joked that only she could marry her celebrity crush’s doppelgänger, especially after her TikTok video highlighting the similarity went viral with over 300,000 views.
Kelsey shared, “I didn’t realize the resemblance at first, but once I noticed it, I couldn’t unsee it. My aunty even pointed it out early on, and it kept coming up. Watching Line of Duty, Martin Compston was always a big celebrity crush for me, so this felt surreal.”
Arron, also from Merthyr Tydfil, is a Line of Duty fan himself and appreciates the frequent comparisons, though he’s thankful for being a bit taller than the 5ft 6ins actor. “People often say they think they’ve seen me before and then realize why. It’s pretty cool,” he said.
The couple’s story highlights a unique twist of fate that has brought two devoted fans and lookalikes together, delighting not only themselves but also fans of the beloved series who can’t tell them apart.