Rhys Williams

Rhys Williams is Gwen Cooper's live-in boyfriend. He is a transport manager and unaware of the true nature of Gwen's job at the Torchwood Institute, believing she is working in "Special Ops" and that any alleged alien interference with Earth over the past two years were actually mass hallucinations induced by terrorists putting psychotropic drugs in the water supply. When Gwen puts this theory to Jack he derides Rhys as stupid. Before she dated Rhys, Gwen was going out with someone named Bruce, and Owen speculates that she simply settled for Rhys[2].

Over the course of the first series Rhys shows increasing irritation with Gwen's evasiveness and long hours. In Ghost Machine he and Gwen have a slight argument when she misses dinner due to her work at Torchwood, and in Out of Time he becomes angry with Gwen when he discovers that she has been lying to him about the nature of a girl who she took in and was actually related to her job at the Institute. He states displeasure at Gwen's ease and readiness to lie to him.

Unknown to Rhys, Gwen establishes a sexual relationship with Owen Harper at the end of Countrycide to help herself deal with her two lives at home and at work. She confesses the affair after it ends in Combat but also slips Rhys an amnesia pill so he will not remember her confession. In End of Days Rhys is stabbed by Bilis Manger and dies, however when the Torchwood Team open the Rift this event is erased from history, bringing Rhys back to life again.