Michelle Dockery’s fiance dies, aged 34
Michelle Dockery rushes back from US publicity tour to be at the bedside of her ‘wonderful man’
Michelle Dockery, the Downton Abbey star, is mourning the death of her 34-year-old fiancé after a long illness.
The actress flew back from the US to be at the bedside of John Dineen in Cork. The couple had been together since 2013 and got engaged earlier this year.
MICHELLE DOCKERY, the Downton
Abbey star, is mourning the death of her 34-year-old fiancé after a long illness.
The actress made the journey back from a US publicity tour to be at the bedside of John Dineen. The couple had been together since 2013 and became engaged earlier this year.
Mr Dineen is understood to have been suffering from cancer and was undergoing treatment in London before he returned to his parents’ home in Cork.
The actress – who plays Lady Mary Crawley in the period drama – has thanked fans for their “support and kindness”. Dockery’s fans shared their condolences online, with some noting that her real-life loss echoed a Downton plot in which her new fictional husband, Matthew Crawley, died young in a car crash.
Last night Dockery was among hundreds of people turned out to pay their last respects to Mr Dineen at St James’s Catholic Church in Ballinora.
She helped to unfold and place a white cloth on the coffin on which a framed photograph of Mr Dineen was placed.
The couple were introduced by Downton costar Allen Leech in 2013 and were seen smiling and kissing during a holiday at the Venice Film Festival later that year.
Mr Dineen’s death came at the
end of a week during which Dockery had been in the US promoting Down
ton Abbey, and two days before her 34th birthday.
He had been working in London but had returned to Ireland to spend time with his family after he was diagnosed
with cancer, the Irish Independent reported. Mr Dineen died in Cork’s Marymount Hospice on Sunday.
A spokesman for Dockery said: “The family is very grateful for the support and kindness they have received but would kindly request that they are left to grieve in private.”
Despite her partner’s condition, Dockery put on a brave face during recent appearances on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and Watch What Happens Live.
Dockery has said little about her relationship with Mr Dineen, but revealed in 2014: “I have a wonderful man in my life from Ireland. We were introduced by Allen Leech. That’s all you need to know.” Leech, who plays Tom Branson in the ITV period drama, previously said: “John’s like family to me and I knew he’d really get on with Michelle. She’s a great girl – probably as far from Lady Mary as you could imagine.”
Mr Dineen was raised on a farm in Waterfall, outside Cork, and studied at University College Cork and University College Dublin. He later moved to Britain to work in financial PR and became a senior director at financial PR firm FTI Consulting.
John Waples, FTI’s UK head of strategic communication, said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear colleague. Our thoughts are with his fiancée Michelle, his family and friends.”
A private funeral will take place in Cork today.