10 hot stories, including the latest twist in Jodie’s love-life drama, the joy of roller-skating, and Victoria Beckham’s latest role? Mother-in-law
AS VILLANELLE IN Killing Eve, Jodie Comer plays a ruthless hitwoman – as well as a ruthless lover, who sees settling down as a living nightmare. She has admitted that her own talent for becoming Villanelle on screen – which has seen her win both an Emmy and a BAFTA – has affected her love life IRL. ‘Villanelle has issues and she has no remorse,’ Jodie has said. ‘But when I am introduced to men sometimes they are a little bit hesitant and yes, maybe they can be a bit frightened.’
But now that appears to be in the past because, for the first time since Jodie first found fame four years ago with BBC drama Thirteen, reports have claimed that the Liverpudlian is in a relationship with James Burke, 26, a lacrosse player from Boston, Massachusetts.
But when the news broke of Jodie’s blossoming romance, it wasn’t met with the kind of positive excitement that we might have expected considering Jodie has become one of our most beloved actors.
Instead of congratulations, the hashtag ‘#jodiecomerisoverparty’ started trending on Twitter, along with claims that James is a Republican and a Donald Trump supporter. Jodie herself has been vocal in her support of Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ+ community. ‘Jodie Comer dating a Trump supporter, while she’s portraying an LGBT character ... is not only wrong but disgusting,’ one Twitter user said. James is thought to have deleted all his social media pages shortly afterwards.
While none of the details about James’s political views have been confirmed, it does look as if Jodie and James are dating. Photos have circulated of James outside Jodie’s family home in Liverpool – where Jodie lives with her parents Jimmy, 54, and Donna, 56, and her 24-year-old brother Charlie. A source close to Jodie says that this turn of public opinion was tough to take in. ‘Everyone told her that it would blow over, but it was an incredibly stressful time for her. Jodie has been assured that her
career won’t suffer just because of a silly hashtag that came and went in the space of a few days. But it dented her confidence. It was a really strange reminder for her of the nature of her industry. She’s been the darling of the British media for more than a year now. She’s adored wherever she goes. She hasn’t had to deal with any negativity yet, and this was a glimpse into what happens when the public turns against you.’
As far as her relationship with James, the insider added that the pair are trying not to let any speculation affect them and are slowly finding their feet.
‘As a new couple, it’s been difficult to keep momentum going when they couldn’t see each other in the spring,’ explains the source. ‘But they did what any young couple has done: video calls, texts, daily catch-ups. It’s definitely a case of absence making the heart grow fonder: being away from him has proved to Jodie that this is the real deal.’
Jodie first hinted at her romance in an interview in British Vogue in March when she spoke about being ‘in love’ after being single ‘for a while’. Though she didn’t name James, she added, ‘I’m very much in it. I think love’s the best. I’d been single for a while and just kind of going with the flow and doing my thing.’
Now Jodie – whose new film Free Guy, with Ryan Reynolds, is due out later this year – and James are making a decision about what’s next for them. ‘They have discussed their future at length. James has no plans to abandon his career or eye a transfer to another US team, and Jodie will be back to flying around the world for filming [on new film The Last Duel with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck] soon. But she’s very happy to have Boston as a US base. She feels really at home there thanks to the months she spent there filming Free Guy. She’s got a network of friends there – through whom she met James. They’re both excited for their next chapter together, regardless of what people online might think.’