The year was 1987; Mads Mikkelsen was decades away from being cast into a James Bond movie. He was a performer still; he was a dancer, and so was his wife, Hanne Jacobsen. 

Then again, she wasn't his wife yet. He'd just met her at an audition, and he was dating someone else at the time. She was too. 

He went on to become the Mads Mikkelsen — once the sexiest man in Denmark. By then, Jacobsen had found a career path of her own as a choreographer. 

But when the actor was the recipient of the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, the highest prize awarded at the esteemed event, she had retreated to becoming a homemaker and left her career behind. 

But why?

Mads Mikkelsen with wife Hanne Jacobsen in Rome

Mads Mikkelsen with Hanne Jacobsen in Rome (Source: Instagram)

Why Hanne Jacobsen Quit Dancing Career

Well, for one, the dancer admitted that her decision to let go of her career was her own. But, that being said, the decision was still rooted in her love as a wife.

During an interview, Jacobsen admitted that after her husband's success with the movie Rejseholdet, she didn't want to be the wife who came home and asked her husband to do the dishes when he was visibly drained. 

"So, I decided to relax a little, and it has been fantastic [translated]," she told the talk show host. 

She insisted she loved being at home and that she didn't feel like she had sacrificed a career at all. "I've had my time as a dancer, and it was a great time," Jacobsen added. 

Mads Mikkelsen Gushing over His Wife

Mikkelsen is not one to shy away from gushing over his wife during interviews. 

Over an interview with The New York Times, Mikkelsen recalled how he met his wife for the first time while auditioning for La Cage aux Folles. 

He also noted how he was dressed as a woman during their first exchange. 

"There must be some Freudian stuff happening there," he said. "I was a Chinese girl, and I think I was quite good. I have women's legs."

He also flexed how he was crowned Denmark's Sexiest man once upon a time. 

Apparently, he would still pull the accolade out of the drawer occasionally and tell her, "Honey, do you realize who you're married to? The sexiest man 14 years ago." 

The first time he did so, his Jacobsen replied, "Well, you're married to the most hot girl in the world."

About Hanne Jacobsen

As per The Sun, Jacobsen was born on January 13, 1961, in Denmark. She was a dancer and choreographer by profession, albeit she has now retired. 

Much like her actor husband, she has also made contributions to the Danish film industry, most notably in Alletiders jul in 1994, Alletiders Nisse in 1995, and Pyrus I Alletiders Eventyr in 2000.

The couple got married on December 2, 2000 — 13 years after they first met. Although Mikkelsen travels quite a lot because of his profession, the couple is still based in Denmark.

Jacobsen still has a say in what project her husband partakes in to maintain that healthy work-life balance. 

The couple also spends a lot of time on the Spanish island of Majorca, where the Mikkelsen family has a house.