Caitriona Balfe explains why she doesn’t see Outlander co-star Sam Heughan away from the show

Caitriona Balfe has explained why she doesn’t spend a lot of time with Sam Heughan away from the screen. The Outlander stars play husband and wife Jamie and Claire on the Starz show but it seems that their time together is limited to in front of the camera in recent times.

The pair built up a close relationship off-screen during the early seasons of the time-travel drama but in recent years, they have struggled to maintain that friendship. Speaking at a television festival in the US, Caitriona confessed that their lives have become “much more complicated and busy”.

She said: “We like to be very prepared and focused but then we like to have a lot of fun. We like to not take ourselves too seriously even though we take the work seriously.

“But as our lives have gotten more complicated and busy, we may not see each other as much as we used to, but that core and that friendship and that base that we have has never changed.”

While they may not see each other personally as much now, it’s in no way a reflection of their affection they have for one another. The Irish actress previously told Elle: “Sam’s just so kind. He’s a really good friend. He always checks in.

“I don’t know, he has one of the biggest hearts and smallest egos that I know. I feel very lucky. Sam and I have an amazing bond, we’re really great friends.”

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Glasgow-based Sam shared the sentiment in an interview with She Knows in which he said: “From when we started, she’s one of my best friends. She’s a great confidant, she’s a great actress, we spend a lot of time together. We’ve become so close.”

Caitriona, also speaking to She Knows, added: “I hope he knows how much I appreciate him. He’s such a gentle soul and he creates such an easy environment no matter where he goes. He’s kind to everybody. He is very funny.