Sex And The City fans across the globe celebrated the return of their favourite New York fashionistas last week as the first full-length trailer of the show’s spin-off, And Just Like That, was aired ahead of its first episode on 9 December.
Almost two decades after Sarah Jessica Parker, 56, (Carrie Bradshaw), Cynthia Nixon, 55, (Miranda Hobbes), and Kristin Davis, 56, (Charlotte York) first hit our screens, the trio were seen reprising their roles for the series set to document “the even more complicated reality of life and friendship” in their 50s.
Kim Cattrall, 65 – who played sexually adventurous PR boss Samantha Jones from 1998 until the show ended in 2004 – was the only leading cast member missing following a rumoured rift between her and SJP. But her absence failed to dampen fans’ spirits. “Getting my Manolos ready!” one gushed in reference to Carrie’s love of the designer, while another added, “Couldn’t be any more excited!”
Check out: Sex and the City - where are they now?
Sex and the City cast - where are they now? slider
1 of 20Sarah Jessica Parker - aka Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie had a weekly column and managed to live in a New York City apartment - the dream. She chased Mr Big around NYC (even though he was trash) and she even cheated on Aidan Shaw with him - rude. The last time we saw Carrie she returned from Abu Dhabi after cheating on hubby Mr Big with Aidan - full circle, tbh.
2 of 20Sarah Jessica Parker - now
Sarah Jessica Parker has since starred in The Family Stone, Failure to Launch, Did You Hear About The Morgans and New Year's Eve. She's also starred on Glee, HBO show Divorce and she's produced her own independent drama. She's married to actor Matthew Broderick and they have three children; James and surrogate twins Marion and Tabitha.
3 of 20Kim Cattrall - aka Samantha Jones
Confident, outspoken and sexy AF - Samantha Jones is literally everything we want to be. She stayed away from long-term relationships but went on to fall for Richard Wright however he left her devo when she found him cheating on her. She then went on to date Jerrod and the pair moved to LA however she broke up with him in Sex and the City 2 and moved back to NYC.
4 of 20Kim Cattrall - now
Following SATC, Kim went on to continue acting in movies and Broadway productions. In 2018 she tweeted that her brother had gone missing and hours later it came to light that he had died by suicide. After SJP apparently wrote condolences on Kim's Instagram, Kim hit back and claimed Sarah was "exploiting" her brother's death.
5 of 20Cynthia Nixon - aka Miranda Hobbes
Miranda didn't trust men (classic) but after falling for Steve Brady (and having a few ups and downs) she fell pregnant with Brady. The pair co-parented their son and eventually gave in to their feelings and reunited. However, Miranda was left heartbroken during the first Sex and the City movie when Steve cheated. Luckily they made it through their rough patch and she even bagged a new job at a law firm during the second movie.
6 of 20Cynthia Nixon - now
Cynthia has continued acting and in 2018 she announced she was running for governor. She's since Christine Marinoni. In 2006 she was diagnosed with breast cancer but she beat it.
7 of 20Kristin Davis - aka Charlotte York
The easiest way to describe Charlotte York is as a hopeless romantic. All she wanted was a husband and kids and it appeared that she found that in Trey MacDougal however when she found out he couldn't "get it up" it took a toll on their marriage and they split. She then fell for Harry Goldenblatt who was not her type but they eventually tied the knot and welcomed Lily (through adoption) and Rose into the world.
8 of 20Kristin Davis - now
Following her time in the Sex and the City series, Kristin continued to star in films and TV shows. She's also an ambassador for Oxfam and she adopted her daughter Gemma in 2011 and her son Wilson in 2018.
9 of 20Chris Noth - aka Big
We had a love/hate relationship with Big because he was Carrie's true love but he was also the ultimate f--kboy. However, when Carrie moved to Paris and was finally ready to forget all about him, he soon changed his tune and they made things work. In the final episode of SATC we finally discovered that his real name was John James Preston.
10 of 20Chris Noth - now
Chris has continued acting in theatre, TV and film. He's also a co-owner of a New York music venue and a tequila company. He's married to actress Tara Lynn Wilson and they're parents to two sons.
11 of 20John Corbett - aka Aidan Shaw
Aww Aidan; the one that got away, tbh. We still think Carrie should have stayed with Aidan - he treated her like a queen, built furniture (hashtag handy) and gave her a second chance after she cheated on him. Despite almost making it down the aisle; Aidan moved on, got married and had three children - although he did kiss Carrie in Sex and the City 2.
12 of 20John Corbett - now
Not only has John continued acting but he's also released two country albums. He has been in a long-term relationship with actress Bo Derek since 2002.
13 of 20Evan Handler - aka Harry Goldenblatt
Harry is definitely the least problematic out of all the Sex and the City characters. He was 100 per cent himself and loved Charlotte despite the fact that she was going through a divorce. He remained faithful and the pair welcomed two daughters into the world.
14 of 20Evan Handler - now
Evan has continued acting and he's also released his own books and has written for magazines and The Huffington Post. He tied the knot with Elisa Atti in 2003 and four years later they welcomed her daughter Sofia into the world.
15 of 20David Eigenberg - aka Steve Brady
Steve and Miranda's relationship started as a one-night stand but they ended up actually dating. It didn't last and the pair split. When Steve discovered he has testicular cancer he ended up sleeping with Miranda and she fell pregnant. They planed to co-parent their son but eventually reunited as a coupe. In the first Sex and the City movie, Steve cheated on Miranda but by the end of the film they got back together.
16 of 20David Eigenberg - now
Just like the rest of the cast, Steve has continued acting. He's married to Chrysti and they're parents to son Louie and daughter Myrna.
17 of 20Willie Garson - aka Stanford Blatch
We always loved Stanford. He was Carrie's BFF and always had her back. He did not get on with Charlotte's pal Anthony but the pair went on to get married in Sex and the City 2.
18 of 20Willie Garson - now
Willie has continued acting in films and TV shows - including Wizard of Waverly Places. Despite playing Carrie's gay best friend, Willie is actually heterosexual and in 2009 he adopted son Nathan.
19 of 20Mario Cantone - aka Anthony Marentino
Anthony was actually Charlotte's wedding planner for her marriage to Trey MacDougal and despite that relationship not working out, Anthony and Charlotte stayed pals. Anthony went on to marry Stanford despite them not getting along for years.
20 of 20Mario Cantone - now
Mario has continued his acting career on Broadway and in 2011 he married musical theater director Jerry Dixon after dating for 20 years.
However, while the trio oozed glamour and confidence in the trailer, it has emerged they have all been battling personal heartache behind the scenes – not least because of the tragic loss of Willie Garson, 57, who played Carrie’s long-time gay BFF Stanford Blatch.
The father-of-one, who filmed scenes for the spin-off just weeks before his death from cancer in September, was particularly close to SJP, who had been friends with him for a decade before starring in SATC and had once dated. Meanwhile, political activist Cynthia has also been struggling since losing out in her bid to become New York Governor, and Kristin has reportedly battled loneliness.
Here Closer takes a deeper look at how the reunion has marked a positive new chapter for them all, despite their secret heartbreaks.
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Cynthia Nixon felt ‘hopeless’ before the reboot
In addition to her successful acting career, Cynthia has carved-out a name for herself as a political activist – supporting numerous campaigns devoted to women’s health and LGBTQ+ rights since meeting her now wife and fellow activist, Christine Marinoni, in 2004.
But after losing her high-profile bid to become New York Governor in 2018, insiders say it left the star – who shares two children, Samuel, 24, and Charles, 18, with her ex Danny Mozes – feeling deflated. She said, “I ran to win. I hoped to win. I did everything I could to make that a possibility.”
The source says, “After all the effort and passion Cynthia put into that candidacy race, the failure hit her hard and she found it a struggle to come back from it.
“While she’s still passionately advocating and involved in politics, she has spent the last couple of years questioning her direction and feeling hopeless at points, so the reboot came at the perfect time.
“Being back on-screen in a role she loves alongside some of her closest friends has seen her self-esteem soar, and the encouragement and applause from all the cast and crew that she hadn’t had in years helped reassure and motivate her to continue.”
Filming was a ‘therapeutic process’ for SJP
Sarah described Willie’s death as “unbearable” in a moving Instagram tribute after his passing. The mum-of-three – who has son James, 19, and 12-year-old twins, Tabitha and Marion, with her husband Matthew Broderick, 59 – told her followers he was “a real friend” adding, “I will miss everything about you. I will replay our last moments together. I will re-read every text from your final days and put to pen our last calls.”
The actor died during filming, and appears in the trailer, although it’s not known how many episodes he’s in.
And after Closer revealed how SJP’s New York townhouse became a “sanctuary” for the girls to comfort one another in the weeks that followed his death, insiders say the star has attributed their reunion to helping her cope with the grief.
A source says, “Being back on set with the girls at the time of Willie’s death was almost a blessing for Sarah as she admits it made her feel closer to him.
“Having that time to process it and let her emotions pour out with Kristin and Cynthia was very therapeutic. She credits it with helping her to deal with it all, as well as having the distraction of filming to help lift her spirits.”
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Flirting with co-star has ‘given Kristin a boost’
She’s revealed she’d love to find a long-term partner and has made no secret of the struggles she’s endured with single parenting her two adopted children, Gemma Rose, nine, and Wilson, three, saying, “It’s a hard job... I don’t have a support for myself.”
In 2019, Kristin – who’s been single since 2015 and has never been married – said, “I certainly feel like I’d like to have another romantic relationship,” later adding she’d “never say never” to tying-the-knot if she found the right man. And after Closer revealed how sparks flew off-set with her handsome new co-star, Ivan Hernandez, 45, insiders say the romance has restored her hope of finding someone.
The source says, “Kristin’s endured years of loneliness and, while she loves being a mum, doing it single-handedly and not having someone to lean on for support has been extremely tough.
“Before filming, Kristin was starting to feel hopeless about meeting anyone, but being back on set and enjoying a flirtation gave her a huge confidence boost. While things have fizzled a bit, she’s determined not to let it get her down and has vowed to get back into dating again. She wants to have fun outside of her role as a mum and enjoy the ride!”