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Rhys Alun Williams, played by Kai Owen, is Gwen's live-in boyfriend and later her husband. He is a transport manager and initially unaware of the 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.
Over the course of Gwen's first months with Torchwood 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 is disturbed by Gwen's ease and readiness to lie to him. Unknown to Rhys, Gwen establishes a sexual relationship with Owen 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 with no memory of the incident.
In "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" Rhys rings Gwen to announce his success in getting the new job he had been longing for. It is also revealed that he proposed to Gwen sometime between the two series. In "Meat" Gwen reveals to Rhys the truth about her alter-life at Torchwood. Rhys then becomes involved in a mission to uncover and destroy an alien meat-trading racket, a mission in which he takes a bullet for Gwen. Once the relatively successful operation is over and Rhys is treated for his wounds by Owen, Jack orders Gwen to drug Rhys to make him forget the recent past. After hearing of Rhys' fascination with this whole new world of extraterrestrials and time travellers, Gwen cannot bring herself to drug him. Jack allows this with reluctance. After Adam Smith rewrites Gwen's memories in "Adam" she forgets Rhys, much to Rhys's distress and to Jack's bewilderment. Her memories begin to return over the course of the episode however Gwen admits she loves Rhys, but 'not in the same way' as she loves Jack. She forgets she made this statement when she takes an amnesia pill in order to forget about Adam Smith.
Gwen and Rhys are finally married, after the wedding was nearly ruined by Gwen becoming impregnated by a shape shifting alien. Rhys sticks by her gallantly, and despite some intimate moments with Jack, Gwen seems to have decided that Rhys really is the man for her.
When the events surrounding the 456 begin to unfold Rhys becomes a lynchpin of what it left of the Torchwood organisation. His down to earth practicality is exactly what a team on the run need. He also has to come to terms with Gwen being pregnant. He is a stronger man emotionally than most of the others. He was last seen with Gwen saying goodbye to Jack Harkness in the wake of the devestating events. Whether he will be a part of the reconstructed Torchwood remains to be seen.
Kai Owen is a newcomer to TV, with only two roles before he was cast as Rhys Williams, Gwen’s boyfriend, in Torchwood. He is a native Welshman and speaks the language. He trained at Mountview Academy, London and has had a successful stage career before becoming known for his Torchwood role.
TORCHWOOD "Torchwood"
(18 episodes)
Before Torchwood "Rocket Man"
.... David 'Shiner' Owen (6 episodes, 2005)
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