We’re now heading full-swing into Christmas season and you know what that means...

Yes, more debates and critiques of the 2003 Richard Curtis flick Love Actually. A sweet, if somewhat problematic celebration of all things love, set against the backdrop of a very British Christmas.

While a lot of the debates around this film are played out, the glaring omission of any LGBTQ couples still stands strong and one storyline in particular would have given the film some much-needed inclusion and packed the kind of gut-punch that the film is loved for.

The lesbian love story left out of Love Actually

Love Actually originally included a relationship between a headmistress, played by Anne Reid, of the school that hosts the final Christmas concert, and her partner Geraldine, played by Frances de la Tour.

The deleted scene sees the headmistress returning home to her terminally ill partner in bed. The two share some laughs and some wine as the scene fades out with Geraldine coughing.

In a later scene, Karen, played by Emma Thompson, gives a speech at the concert while the headmistress is in the audience wearing dark glasses and says: “I’d just like to say to our headmistress, on behalf of all the parents, that we think it’s very brave her being here today in light of her recent loss.

“Geraldine was a wonderful and wicked woman, and sorrow is particularly hard at Christmas.”

Speaking on the storyline in the DVD extras, director Richard Curtis explained: “The idea was meant to be that he just casually met this very sort of stern headmistress, and you’d just think, ’Well, there’s a stern headmistress.

“And the idea was that 15 minutes later, we suddenly fell in with the headmistress. You realise that no matter how unlikely, it seems that any character that you come across in life has their own complicated tale of love.”

We can’t help but feel a little disappointed that this touching story didn’t make the final cut. 

Love Actually is available to stream on Now.