The Dominic West-Catherine FitzGerald marriage is now major gossip around the world. It’s so bizarre! On Monday, photos were published in the Daily Mail of Dominic enjoying a very public affair with his younger costar, Lily James. Dominic basically flew home to England as soon as the photos came out, and then Tuesday morning, he somehow persuaded his wife to pose for a “happily married” photocall outside of their home, complete with an uncomfortable-looking closed-mouth kiss, and Catherine’s hand clutching a tissue. MESS. So how did this photocall come about?
Catherine clutched a note written by her husband and signed by them both. This she deposited for photographers at the boundary of their property. It read: ‘Our marriage is strong and we’re very much together. Thank you.’ She then put her hand back in her pocket — along with a scrunched-up tissue which she was holding tightly throughout the photo-call….Her gritted teeth were only really in evidence when she hesitated on her way out of the home.
So whose idea was the photo-call? Definitely Dominic’s, say friends. There is speculation that Lily might have called Mrs West on Monday night to insist that those pictures could be innocently explained away.
Other sources say their mutual agent, Angharad Wood, who was pictured at the restaurant in Rome, would have offered some reassurance. Sources indicate that Lily and Dominic were in Rome to visit her and her baby daughter, who was born in August. Angharad’s partner is Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio — familiar to UK audiences as Count Fosco in the 2018 adaptation of The Woman In White.
One pal said: ‘The fact that Angharad was there will have been very reassuring to Catherine as the two women are good friends. Angharad would not have stood for anything going on and he would certainly not be so stupid as to do anything in front of her. Dom has a bit of history with women from some time ago, but he’s much too clever to get caught out this way. The fact is he’s a very cuddly kind of person, really a big teddy bear, and you could probably have a picture of him like this with a dozen of his female friends.’
Sources have suggested Lily and Dominic may have got closer than they normally would over the past two months while filming The Pursuit Of Love, from late July to early October. She’s the star of the film, which is based on the Nancy Mitford novel about an upper-class English family in the inter-war years. Dominic plays her father.
Due to the pandemic, however, there were strict rules about off-set mingling. One source said: ‘When you are making films these days, you end up locked down in a bubble for 12 weeks. People go crazy. You aren’t allowed to hang out with people from outside the bubble, so you end up spending time with each other.’ And while the phenomenon of the on-set fling is far from new, it seems that during the pandemic ‘anything can and does happen’. Another added: ‘Actors have to sign Covid contracts these days, which mean they promise they will stay in that bubble throughout filming. They can’t see their families even at weekends. It means that people are thrown together in a very intense way.’
Yeah, all of this is just upper-class PR – sources are basically saying that Dominic fed his wife a line, had his mistress call his wife to swear that nothing was happening, and even got a mutual friend to swear that it was fine… and then, in almost the same breath, all of those sources say that Lily and Dominic probably were having an affair, but it’s not their fault, they were thrown together because of the pandemic, it’s the virus’s fault! Besides, the photographer who took the Rome photos has been talking – as an “eyewitness” – and he makes it sound like what he witnessed was a full-blown affair, including a lengthy trip to a hotel.
The Daily Mail also says that Dominic, Catherine and their kids are likely headed to her ancestral castle, Glin Castle, to wait out the scandal. Lily “remained firmly shut away behind the door of her flat in North London yesterday.” I feel bad for Lily a little bit. Although if she did call Catherine and lie to her, then Lily sucks.
The nation may be facing new chaotic creeping lockdown but here's what everyone really wants to talk about: Dominic West and wife put on united front after THOSE pics of him with Lily James https://t.co/TIjbzitaBq pic.twitter.com/GXSAhyzSgq
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) October 13, 2020
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
I’’m glad that Dominic is shouldering most of the blame as he should. That said, I have to side-eye Lily since she knew this guy was married.
Side-note: Can Lily not close her mouth?
Well. Those teeth.
That’s how people pose when they think they’re friggin’ hot as shit lol.
Her teeth are fine?
LOL
Every picture that the media use right now is not very flattering. Does she not know how to pose on the red carpet?! She looks like she’s constipated
I think she deserves more than just a side-eye to be honest.
I’m also glad West is getting a ton of sh*t for this, as well he should, being such a callous, lying cheater. But I’m not enjoying Lily being framed as some sort of innocent or free agent because ‘feminism’. Although that’s white feminism in a nutshell, using it to your advantage at the slightest hint of criticism.
She knew he was married, she’s just as trashy. It takes two to tango.
Although, again — Dominic West ain’t sh*t.
@LULU WANG WAS ROBBED +100000
“She knew he was married, she’s just as trashy. It takes two to tango.”
It was his home to wreck and she chose to help him wreck it. She’s an accomplice and gets no free pass from me.
She kind of looks like she smelled something terrible.
@aurora – I commented on the other thread about that – both she and Keira Knightley always have their mouths hanging open in photos. Looks dumb.
Hot take but cheating allegations or not, if your man is just “very cuddly” with all his female friends, he doesn’t need to be your man.
I agree. Any man that behaves this way is nobody’s forever dong. He’s community d!c*.
Cackle!
Yeah, can you imagine someone saying that about your husband? “Oh, he’s snuggly with DOZENS of women!”
He’s a cad. He’s always been a cad. He’ll always be a cad. Everyone knows it.
I agree if Lily knew he was still in an active marriage (not separated or going through a divorce) and then called the wife up and lied about an affair then Lily sucks. She would deserve almost as much blame as he does.
But
Let’s suppose lily DIDNT know he was still together with the wife.
Like he had said Oh we are separated
Then she finally caves to his advances- off set- when she thinks it’s free and clear and in the open -BECAUSE HE IS AVAILABLE
then imagine her SHOCK HORROR AND HUMILIATION
When she discovers in a whirlwind, that he IS STILL MARRIED, he flew back to his wife, and lily meant less than zero to him.
She might feel so horrible and worthless and think that reassuring Catherine that nothing happened would effectively erase it. Like if you say it didn’t happen then it didn’t happen.
And that might make Lily also feel like she won’t be the bad temptress – bc that wasn’t her intention- but obv NO ONE cares about her right now
So her calling the wife- if she did- is her doing what she does- acting – but hoping she can make it true
So she can feel less used and thrown away.
Additionally- regarding the mutual manager/agent who is allegedly good friends with Cads wife—- let’s be clear that ultimately HER INTERESTS ARE WITH HER CLIENTS!!! Cad and Lily. NOT Cads wife- however “friendly” they may seem. Ultimately it’s all about the money and the relationships she maintains with her clients. By aligning with them- but appearing to reassure the wife- she is only doing HER EXACT JOB DESCRIPTION of protecting and advocating for her clients.
“She might feel so horrible and worthless and think that reassuring Catherine that nothing happened would effectively erase it. Like if you say it didn’t happen then it didn’t happen.”
Which makes her a liar on top of it.
I don’t think she deserves any blame (if not her, than someone else). So I won’t blame her for whatever happens in their marriage. I will think she’s a selfish, sucky person. That’s different.
I agree with you. If Lily knew he was still in a committed relationship, she acted selfishly in engaging in an affair and arrogant even to do so publicly. If she did call and lie, she would also be deceitful. But she still doesn’ take any equal share of the blame here as Dominic is the deceitful liar who cheated on his wife and caused pain and embarrassment to his family. When you look at his smug face, you just know that slime is going to get away with it personally and professionally.
Original Jenns says: “I don’t think she deserves any blame (if not her, than someone else).”
Trump doesn’t deserve blame for anything he’s done. If not him, it would be some other Republican.
I just wanted you to see that bit of anti-logic all typed out for you.
I’ll be real and clear here: We are responsible for our own choices. To think otherwise is not only foolish but dangerous.
Uh, there are pics floating around of them snuggly at the airport, allegedly after the affair photos came out. The DM lies but if Lily called his wife, it was likely disingenuous.
”Dominic plays her father” says it all… ew.
I mean, I get how this happens. It happens all the time on sets. Ewan MacGregor, Brad Pitt, etc.
1) But Lily why? It really feels like she’s rebounding from Matt Smith hard.
2) He’s skeezy. ”Oh honey I was stuck in quarantine for 12 weeks and I couldn’t see you or the kids ad I was so lonely… It was just comfort, we became close. I absolutely did not fuck her.”
Also it was pointed out on twitter he’s wearing the same outfit in the photocall as in Rome. He totally jumped on the plane and just got home ahead of the press. Mess.
Wow! Looks like a lot of lying assholes are involved in this. If Lily truly called her and lied then she’s an asshole too and deserves her piece of the shit storm.
Lol. After this excuse, we can expect on a few days a pap walk of Lilly with another man, to state that she was all this time dating that guy and had nothing with West. I wonder if her team will try another PR Stunt with Chris Evans. I hope he is smart enough to stay away from this mess.
I was thinking this would be the next move!
@Nancy, after the blind item posted yesterday on Blind Gossip and now this, I think this what they will sure do. I wonder if Evans will want to make part of this mess. I don’t think it’s a good idea for him. If anyone from LJ’s team is reading here, try a SINGLE actor from the show’s cast. This will help with this poor excuse they created, like “You see??? She was dating that guy on set all this time. West and LJ are just friends!”
If evans after saying he’s single on Bill Maher and saying he was in London for work (lol), gets into this pr nightmare, then he’s dumb af.
Everyone should stay away from James and West. They are both assholes and deserve what’s coming for them. They do not deserve any pr help.
Unless they have some sort of open marriage, I hope his wife isn’t buying this BS.
The description of the weird photo call sounds like a hostage situation.
“The description of the weird photo call sounds like a hostage situation.” Right? It made him sound like an abusive a-hole who was forcing her to do this.
I imagine there was a lot of begging, pleading, guilt tripping, and gas lighting that happened once he got back home.
They both suck.
This is just messy all the way around. And I wonder about his wife, after seeing how awkward those pics are. She just seems like she is under his control. But I don’t like him. There is a reason he plays the part of slimeball so well in his movies.
Anymore I can see some actors get continually the same type of roles. Like him. He often plays a weasel (see “300”) and I practically stood up and cheered when Lena Headey stabbed him in 300. Sometimes I can see how these are not great actors they are merely getting cast because that is the type of person that falls easily to them. I.e., he plays jerks so he might just be a real jerk and not so much acting involved. This guy has always sleeved me out.
I’m not going to “blame” Lily for being a cheater because she’s not the one who is married, but why are we feeling sorry for her or acting like there is any scenario here where she is not an absolute a$$hole?
Dominic is not some stranger she met who swept her off her innocent little feet while keeping her ignorant of the truth. She knew he was married. She made a choice to do something super sh*tty, and while that choice wasn’t to cheat on his wife it was definitely to not give a sh*t about and to cause public pain and humiliation to his wife. He’s a liar and a cheater; she’s a liar and an a$$hole. I don’t feel sorry for her at all.
I believe in supporting women. I believe in not blaming women for men’s actions. But can we please hold women accountable for their own choices when those choices are selfish and hurtful to others? My ex had an affair with his co-worker like 3 months after we married; she definitely knew we were married as she actually met him in our home. And I don’t blame her for ending my marriage because my POS ex did that, but I do “blame” her for being a selfish a$$hole. I didn’t really have anger towards her because she was nothing to do with me personally, but let’s not act like anyone who knowingly engages in an affair with someone at the expense of that person’s spouse or children is deserving of pity or sympathy. Unless Lily SOMEHOW had no idea that Dominic was still married, she’s just as much of an a$$hole as he is, even if she’s not the cheater in this scenario.
Eff Dominic and eff Lily, tbh. 2 selfish a$$holes.
*Sidenote: my divorce was the best thing to happen to me, and it was about one month of agony before that penny dropped. When I say I ultimately didn’t hold anger towards his coworker, I really mean it. Sometimes, selfish a$$holes inadvertently give others the greatest gifts. Doesn’t make them less selfish or a$$holely though. And in no way do I feel sorry for her; you choose a cheater, you get a cheater. Enjoy that bed you made.
100% agree that people who knowingly get involved with people in relationships are selfish gob-holes. Glad you are doing better now, ugh.
+1 to absolutely allllll of this
+1 A much better articulation of my feelings than I could actually put to words.
I don’t blame her. She is not married, she did not cheat on his wife.
But i will say that getting involved with a guy in a relationship is not a good move. Not because you are betraying sisterhood or some crap, but b/c it will never be a good relationship.
It will never be a fulfilling relationship.
When you get with a guy who is publicly with someone else, you are cheating yourself.
And you should demand better for yourself.
It’s not about betraying a sisterhood. It’s about making choices that you absolutely know will hurt other people who have never done anything to deserve it. The way to not “cheat yourself” in these situations would be to tell the person you are ostensibly in love with that you won’t be with them until they are available to fully return your feelings. Publicly.
As I said, I’m not calling her a cheater. But a selfish a$$hole she most definitely is; being a decent human being has nothing to do with a sisterhood, and making stupid selfish choices isn’t something I have a lot of sympathy for.
@Ariel
Your comment reads extremely self-centered and heavily entrenched in a toxic “f you, got mine” mentality. And what’s wrong with valuing sisterhood, anyway?
NO, NO and NO.
Dominic is responsible for his behavior and so is Lily.
Unless Dominic put a gun to her head, Lily is helping Dominic to cheat on his wife with her.
It seems that Dominic is cheating on his wife and Lily is part of the problem, because Dominic can’t cheat on his wife by himself.
One day, Lily may find herself ” the wife with children at home ” while her husband is fooling around with a younger woman.
What comes around, goes around.
Disgusting behavior by both of them and has nothing to do with feminism.
@Ariel, I feel bad for you,.
Life is not easy, being a human being is not easy and women certainly don’t have it easy.
Big part of the problem is just simply our gender in a patriarchal society which is tilted in favor of the male population.
Women should be more kind to one another and not hurt each other, especially for a middle aged, desperately trying to prove he still got it cad like Dominic West.
What ever happened to not hurting people that didn’t do anything to us?
Karma will get them both at some point, it always does.
I know this family. Catherine knows full well what he’s like. Normally he keeps it to university students and women he meets down the pub… One night stands and such. His behaviour has always been accepted (not liked, but accepted) because he had the cop on to keep it discreet. There have been a few higher profile incidents, but nothing like this. He is a BIG drinker, and I understand (from mutual acquaintances) that it’s gotten worse in recent years. I think what we are seeing here is a combination of alcoholism and a raging midlife crisis. Families like the Fitzgeralds will close ranks. If he doesn’t play ball and go to rehab, they’ll freeze him out.
Interesting.
+1
Intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
As an aside I just want to say that I LOVE the comments on this site. It’s the only place I read them online and so often I learn all sorts of extra bits about the stories being discussed.
Sounds like a real winner.
University students? So goes for a lot of them? Blergh.
I would believe she knew about it, especially because of all those interviews of him blatantly saying a man can cheat in his 30-40s. She needs to leave him
All the comments about him on DeuxMoi are like this, I believe it.
That makes me very sad. Why would any woman put up with such a man? Why does this beautiful and talented woman accept this disgusting behavior? Low self-esteem? This is what she is teaching her children is acceptable in a marriage. Because kids KNOW. That is a true disservice.
In these circles, nobody ever expects men to be faithful. It’s expected that they will have sex with other women, even full-blown affairs. What *ISN’T* acceptable is to make a show of yourself in front of the world media and embarrass your family.
If I was Catherine I would be smashing his satellite award trophies from the affair, I mean how cliche can this guy get, playing multiple roles as the cheating cad, getting awarded for it, and THEN having the gall to hurt his real wife that way, ugh
Seriously, this is hitting Miranda Lambert level of messy.
Who knew THIS would be the triangle of 2020.
Excellent comment!!
I nominate this as a new scale of messiness. Ooh it’s a six on the Lambert scale.
I like the way you think, Sarah.
The pictures of them together at the airport in Rome after the original pics came out show they don’t give a shit about hurting anyone. That was not a man who was worried and upset about what he has done to his wife and potentially his marriage. He’s utter garbage.
So their explanation is that Lily and Dominic decided to travel together to another country, during a pandemic, to visit a newborn baby?
This just seems like the case of the simplest explanation is usually the right one. They got caught having an affair. Visiting the friend was probably just a cover to spend time together in Rome. And if that woman is their mutual agent, her interest would lie with Lily and Dominic and on making sure their image is marketable, she may try to work with Lily and Dominic to pacify the wife, in order to protect their image, but the loyalty would not be with the wife.
Seeing how flirty and cozy they were sight-seeing and then at the airport, it doesn’t seems like people who are just friends.
Totally agree
100% – visiting their mutual agent was the cover story, eating lunch with her and sneaking touches and neck kisses while she is away from the table is their secret thrill with a built in chaperone for plausible deniability. He is gross if he’s gaslighting his wife with that sh*t.
I agree. They needed a cover story to run off together, and the agent supplied them with one. I can’t imagine anyone is buying that though.
She has the finest RBF I’ve ever seen, in every single photo.
That’s all I’ve got.
I dont feel bad for Lily. AT ALL. She’s a grown a$$ woman who decided to openly have an affair with a married man. Dominic is utter TRASH for cheating on his wife, but Lily is not much better. And if she DID call this poor woman and try to gaslight her?? Nope. She’s trash too.
Yup! Dominic is absolute garbage and should be kicked to the curb.
She knows the family for years, has been friends with Dominic so she knows the wife and if she truly called her and lied to her… then she’s a POS as well.
Wife looks like a Stepford robot in those damage-control pics. Poor woman.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, Lily.
I looked at the “happy couple” photos and his wife is gorgeous – he looks like decaying meat compared to her. Why does she not leave him immediately? As a side note, I love the blue sweater/turtleneck she is wearing.
Dear Catherine, you live in a castle, now get a prince.
I’m guessing it’s economics. Kids are still dependents. Too messy. Probably a lot of affection there underneath it all.
I don’t feel sorry for any of them.
Lily knew he was married. No one under the age of 25 should really be blown away an older man telling them some sob story about how his wife doesn’t appreciate him, if that’s even what happened. Lily knew what she was doing, he knew what he was doing and I’ll never understand how his wife could possibly stand by him after those photos.
This reminds of all the politicians who’ve been caught cheating and their mea culpa press conferences with their poor beleaguered spouses by their side. Elliott Spitzer comes to mind as well as that diaper wearing Republican congressman who frequented the DC madam.
I don’t know how people are going to them seriously as father and daughter in the new movie!! Gross:(
The picture of lily at the top of this post, her dress is AWFUL, was this from that awards season when every dress looked ugly as hell? Women like her and margo robbie are beautiful it takes effort to make them look bad IMO but Margo’s stylist seems to hate her