Dominic West finally breaks silence on Lily James affair controversy

Dominic West discussed the time when he was accused of having an affair with Lily James after they were photographed together despite being married to Catherine FitzGerald.

The 54-year-old Crown actor spoke to the Times about how he and his wife, Catherine FitzGerald, joke about the time when he was spotted with the Cinderella actress on a vacation in Rome.

Referring to the controversy, he told the publication, “I hesitate to speak on my wife’s behalf because it was obviously horrible, particularly for her,”

“But we do joke about it sometimes," he added. “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."

“And so when we go out we do sort of say, ‘Shall we go and have a show of unity up in London?’" he continued.

“It was an absurd situation, 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."

Moreover, West and James were photographed again at the airport in Rome together. At the time, the duo was filming a BBC adaptation of Nancy Mitford's classic novel The Pursuit of Love.

Shortly after the reports were published, West and FitzGerald slammed all the rumors while publicly addressing them outside their house in London. 

The couple posed for photographs and issued an statement, saying, “Our marriage is strong and we're very much still together. Thank you. Catherine and Dominic.”

Previously, in an interview with the Guardian in 2021, James refused to talk about the controversy, saying that there was “a lot to say” but that she wasn't ready to speak.

For those unversed, West and FitzGerald, 52, have been married since 2010 and share four kids together, including sons, Senan, 15, and Francis, 14, and daughters, Dora, 18, and Christabel, 8. 

The Wire actor also shares daughter Martha, 25, with ex-girlfriend Polly Astor.