Downton’s Lady Mary finds love with Fleabag’s brother
SHE was heartbroken when her fiance died of cancer four years ago at just 34.
But now Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery has found new love with the brother of Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, The Mail on Sunday has learned.
Ms Dockery, 37, who played Downton’s Lady Mary Crawley, has been dating creative director Jasper Waller-Bridge – six years her junior – for the past three months, it is understood.
The pair met through mutual friends and two weeks ago appeared together on the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival.
Miss Dockery’s friends say she has a smile on her face once again in what is believed to be her first relationship since her fiance, Irish publicist John Dineen, lost his 15-month battle against a rare form of cancer in 2015.
Handsome and well-connected, Mr WallerBridge, 31, works for leading talent agency James Grant, whose celebrity clients include Holly Willoughby, Amanda Holden and Ant and Dec.
One friend said: ‘It was all taken slowly and in a considered manner but they are really enjoying being together.
‘Michelle has been travelling a lot to promote the Downton movie but they have been in constant contact. Their friends and families are very happy for them. It is just so lovely.
‘Jasper is a bit younger than Michelle but he has dated other older women in the past and it appears to be working for both of them. Michelle remains a very down-to-earth woman, dating an A-lister has never been her thing.’
Ms Dockery is understood to be friends with Jasper’s Fleabag star sister Phoebe, 34, and the two stars crossed paths when they both spent time in Los Angeles over the summer.
Essex-born Ms Dockery has been nominated for three consecutive Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.
Mr Waller-Bridge was born and raised in West London by his mother Teresa and father Michael, now married to the designer Rosemary Goodenough. He is currently also a producer on a television project called The Back End.
Two years ago, in a rare interview about Mr Dineen’s death, Ms Dockery admitted she considered herself a widow after his passing.
Neither Ms Dockery nor Mr Waller-Bridge responded to requests to comment.