Jane Beryl Wilde Hawking Jones (born 29 March 1944) is an English author and teacher. She was married to

Stephen Hawking Stephen William Hawking (8January 194214March 2018) was an English theoretical physics, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between ...

for 30 years before divorcing.

Early life and education

Jane was born to George and Beryl Wilde (). She grew up in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, Hertfordshire. She was raised in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and is an active

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. She studied languages at the University of London's

Westfield College Westfield College was a small college situated in Hampstead, London, from 1882 to 1989. It was the first college to aim to educate women for University of London degrees from its opening. The college originally admitted only women as students and ...

. Jane and Stephen Hawking met through mutual college friends at a party in 1962. Hawking was diagnosed with

motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

(also known as

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

, or ALS) in 1963. Though aware of his consequent shortened life expectancy and limitations, the couple became engaged in 1964 and married in 1965 in their shared hometown of St Albans. They had three children: Robert, born in 1967,

Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...

, born in 1970, and Timothy, born in 1979. After years of working on her

doctoral thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

through

, Hawking received her

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in medieval Spanish poetry in April 1981. She felt compelled to obtain a PhD to have her own academic identity within the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Jane and Stephen Hawking separated in 1990, and divorced five years later. In 1997, she married musician Jonathan Hellyer Jones. However, she continued to support Hawking through his health problems as he continued to work. In the postlude to her 2007 memoir ''Travelling to Infinity'', she writes about Hawking after his second divorce (from nurse Elaine Mason): "We are able to associate freely again and enjoy many a family occasion together. It has been quite like old times..." During her marriage to Hawking, while dealing with the progression of his illness, Jane experienced depression. In a 2004 interview, she cited her

faith as giving her hope during her marriage and the depression she experienced as a result of being his then-caregiver. In that interview, she noted the irony in her faith-based strength to support him in light of Hawking's well-known atheism.

Later life

In 1999, she wrote an autobiography about her first marriage, ''Music to Move the Stars: A Life with Stephen'', which was used as a basis for the 2004 television film ''Hawking'' about his early years as a PhD student at Cambridge University and the beginnings of their relationship and marriage. She and Stephen Hawking established a working relationship following his separation and divorce from his second wife. In 2009, an updated version of the autobiography was republished under the title ''Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen'' and was subsequently made into the award-winning film '' The Theory of Everything''. Following the release of the film, Hawking discussed her life on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

'' in January 2015.

Portrayal in media

Hawking was portrayed on television by Lisa Dillon in the 2004 television film ''Hawking'', and on film by Felicity Jones in the 2014 film '' The Theory of Everything'', for which Jones was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...

Works

* '' At Home In France: Guide to Buying and Renovating Property In France ''Allegro Publications 1994 * '' Music to Move the Stars: A Life with Stephen ''

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

, London 1999 * ''Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen'' Alma Books 2007 * '' Silent Music ''Alma Books 2016 * '' Cry to Dream Again ''Alma Books 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawking, Jane 1944 births Living people Alumni of Westfield College English women memoirists Schoolteachers from Hertfordshire English autobiographers English Christians 20th-century English writers 21st-century English writers Stephen Hawking 20th-century English women writers