An awkward affair
Note to actor caught canoodling with co-star: Staging photo op like a cheating Tory is not the way to end gossip about your marriage
IS it too late to get Dominic West on the MBE list?
He definitely deserves some kind of honour for services at a time of national crisis.
His marriage saga, which has played out over the last few days, featuring twists and turns no one could have predicted, has been the first properly engaging distraction from coronavirus for more than six months.
Bravo. Because, seriously, what the heck is going on?!
West-gate kicked off over the weekend, when photos emerged of The Affair star Dominic, 50, on a jaunt to Rome, nuzzling and stroking actress Lily James, 31.
Even before the part when he rubbed up against her as they rode an electric scooter built for one, it had all the trademarks of an embarrassing mid-life crisis affair.
Canoodling with a co-star nearly two decades younger – Dominic plays her dad in upcoming BBC drama The Pursuit of Love – is, after all, the “love” life equivalent of a red sports car and a leather jacket.
The pictures of Dominic and Lily were of particular interest to Catherine Fitzgerald – the woman currently married to Dominic and mother of four of his children.
A female friend who came to console her at the family home in Wiltshire, is said to have described Catherine as “shocked, heartbroken and devastated”.
She added: “Catherine has been trying to speak with Dominic but he’s not answering his phone. She’s totally shocked because she didn’t know anything was going on.
“They were very much together, so this is completely out of the blue. She thought they had a good marriage and now it’s probably over. That’s how she feels right now but the two of them need to speak but at the moment, she’s lost for words.” Case closed then. Dominic is famous, Lily is too, and every single member of the public has a camera on their phone nowadays, never mind the paparazzi.
He knew what he was doing when he put on that EPDA (Extreme Public Display of Affection.)
He wasn’t trying to get away with it, sneaking about in the shadows, wearing a mask in crowded areas so he wouldn’t be recognised. Wearing a mask doesn’t even stand out these days. He wanted to get caught. The end. Except... not so fast. Yesterday morning, the day after the photos came out, 12 hours after apparently “heartbroken” Catherine felt her marriage was “probably over”, Dominic was seen arriving home, with his tail, presumably very much between his legs, and a lot of explaining to do. He was about to get exactly what he deserved. Except... not so fast. A short while later, Dominic and Catherine came out and stood in front of photographers on their doorstep. Together.. Against all the odds, they were literally putting on a united front. Astonishing.
Kissing for the cameras, like so many politicians and their wives before them, they insisted: “Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together,” reiterating the veracity of the statement by handing out a handwritten copy of it they had both signed. Nothing to see here. WTAF? The most perplexing thing is that even if DomiDominic and Catherine have an “arrangement”, or we’re all being uptight and actually it was innocent, the very act of the doorstep united front is too much of a cliche to be believed.
There’s only one certainty in this extremely confusing situation. If Dominic and Catherine were hoping to shut down speculation and gossip, they have succeeded. In doing the exact opposite.