Tenderly kissing new leading lady in his life, man tipped to be Bond
HE has been tipped to be the next Bond. And it seems James Norton has more in common with 007 than just his dashing good looks – as he also has a penchant for beautiful women.
The 32-year-old star of TV’s Happy Valley and Grantchester has broken up with his girlfriend of two years, Jessie Buckley, and is now dating actress Imogen Poots.
The pair, who are currently playing a couple on stage in London, held hands as they did some Christmas shopping in the capital last week.
Wandering round Spitalfields market, they kept stopping to kiss as they explored the shops. An onlooker said: ‘They appeared to be very much in love. They are clearly very close and seemed relaxed in each other’s company.’ In their current roles in Belleville at the Donmar theatre, Norton and Miss Poots, 28, play a self-obsessed couple.
Their on-stage relationship is so believable one critic described them as having
‘Baring a ripped torso’
‘fizzy chemistry’. To prepare for their parts, Miss Poots said they had to do plenty of ‘oversharing’ and even saw marriage counsellors, something she called a ‘great bonding experience’.
Norton and Miss Buckley, 27, had been dating since they played siblings in the BBC1 adaption of War And Peace broadcast in January last year. It is thought that they split up in the summer.
Norton’s role in upcoming BBC1 drama McMafia has reignited speculation that he will become the next Bond after he was seen looking suave in a tuxedo in the series. One scene also shows him baring a ripped torso as he emerges from the water in swimming trunks.
The actor, meanwhile, has told The Big Issue that his heart ‘breaks every morning’ because of Brexit. He said: ‘It feels like we are spiralling out of control and no one is willing to put the brakes on.’
A representative for Norton declined to comment. Representatives for Miss Buckley and Miss Poots had not responded last night.