Dominic West
He talks about the consequences of his alleged affair with Lily James
© Dave Bennett/Getty Images
The kissing pictures of Dominic West and Lily James from Rome went around the world in 2020. The British actor has now spoken in an interview about the impact the scandal had on his marriage.
It was THE scandal in autumn 2020: married father Dominic West, 54, kissed his actress colleague Lily James, 35, during a trip to Rome together. The “The Crown” star could hardly keep his hands off the then 31-year-old, caressing her buttocks and hugging her again and again. The of “Daily Mail” published paparazzi photos then went around the world. Shortly afterwards, a remorseful and difficult-to-bear statement was made by his wife Catherine FitzGerald, 52. In an interview with the British “Times”, the “Prince Charles” actor now looks back on this difficult time.
Dominic West: “It was terrible for my wife”
Even though the firings were quite clear, Dominic West never publicly admitted to having had a more than friendly relationship with Lily James. “Our marriage is strong and we are still together,” he preferred to emphasize to the waiting reporters. Together with his wife, he appeared before the press in front of his home in Wiltshire, England, a few days after the alleged affair recordings in October 2020.
Nevertheless, the photos and the media whirlwind they triggered did not go unnoticed by Dominic West and Catherine FitzGerald. Everywhere they appeared, the cameras clicked. Something was interpreted into every look and every gesture. Are they arguing? Have the parents of four children together become closer again? “I hesitate to speak for my wife because it was obviously terrible, especially for her,” Dominic West said in an interview with The Times three and a half years later.
“We joke about it sometimes”
But the couple tries to take the headlines with humor. “We joke about it sometimes,” says Dominic West, explaining: “Whenever we went out together, the papers would say we were putting on a ‘show of unity’. Even if we were just arguing about parking the car, Even though that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Whenever the BAFTA Award winner and the Irish landscape architect wanted to go out, they would laugh and say to each other: “Should we go and put on a show of unity in London?” West continued.
Lily James: “There’s a lot to say, but not now”
Lily James, on the other hand, has not yet wanted to comment on the recordings. In 2021, she only told the Guardian that she was “not really ready” to “talk about it” yet. The “Pam & Tommy” star already indicated that there was more to say than what has been said so far and that she would talk about it at some point: “There’s a lot to say, but not now, I’m afraid.”
Sources used: dailymail.co.uk, thetimes.co.uk, theguardian.com