It’s been nearly four years since married Dominic West and Lily James were photographed in Rome — and the “Crown” actor and his wife, Catherine FitzGerald, now laugh about it.
West, 54, addressed the rumored affair headlines that made the rounds at the time in a new interview with The Times, which published on April 21.
“I hesitate to speak on my wife’s behalf because it was obviously horrible, particularly for her,” he said. “But we do joke about it sometimes.”
“Whenever we went out together, the papers would always say we were ‘putting on a show of unity’. Even if we’d just been rowing about parking the car or whatever, even if that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he continued. “And so when we go out we do sort of say, ‘Shall we go and have a show of unity up in London?’”
In October 2020, West and James, 35, appeared to get cozy during the Rome getaway in photos published by the Daily Mail. They were spotted getting lunch and riding a scooter together.
The pair were filming a BBC adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s classic novel “The Pursuit of Love” while on location. They played father and daughter on the project.
“It was an absurd situation,” West, who shares two boys and two girls with FitzGerald, went on. “It was deeply stressful for my wife and my kids, but there were lighter moments. That was the best that came out of it, really.”
One day after the photos surfaced, West and FitzGerald spoke to reporters outside their home, with a sheet of paper that read: “Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together. Thank you. Catherine and Dominic.”
One year later, the “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” actress declined to make her own comments about the bizarre situation.
“Ach, I’m not really willing to talk about that,” James told The Guardian. “There is a lot to say, but not now, I’m afraid.”
West and Fitzgerald have been married since 2010.
