Last October, we learned that Dominic West and Lily James were having an affair. They were working together on Pursuit of Love, and their affair flourished in a spectacularly indiscreet romantic jaunt to Rome, where they were photographed canoodling and looking very, um, close. We learned that they made out on the flight there, and they stayed at the same hotel, etc. This was all news to Dominic’s wife, Catherine FitzGerald, who was at home in England with their children. Dominic flew home quickly and he made his wife pose for awkward photos and it was pretty… weird. In the months since, there have been gossip updates and it seemed like Catherine and Dominic were working on their sh-tty marriage, even if he is a serial adulterer. And now everything’s fine, apparently.
She was humiliated when pictures of her actor husband Dominic West cavorting with Lily James were plastered all over the world’s media. Now Catherine FitzGerald has banned him from speaking to Lily as part of a peace deal struck between the couple during a lockdown escape to trendy island destination Lamu in Kenya. The actor, 51, finally won forgiveness for the infamous photographs that showed him flirting outrageously with 32-year-old Lily while on a secret trip to Rome. The Wests even discussed renewing their wedding vows to rebuild their ten-year marriage, The Mail on Sunday has learned.
‘The idea of remarrying was talked about,’ says a friend of the couple. ‘Nothing was decided, or has been yet, but Catherine brought up the idea and it was much discussed. It shows how far things have come since those photographs.’
Having dealt with the biting hurt caused by her husband’s frolicking with Downton Abbey star Lily last year, it seems that Catherine, 49, concluded that life was better with him than without. However, the MoS has been told there are some strict new rules to guide West’s future behaviour.
‘He has promised never to see, speak or work with Lily again,’ said a friend. Also, there are to be no joint promotional interviews for the forthcoming TV adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s novel The Pursuit Of Love, in which they both star. This, apparently, has caused surprise among BBC bosses who hope the series will be a ratings triumph, having scheduled it to be screened in the primetime Sunday 9pm slot currently occupied by Line Of Duty. It is thought that despite initial protestations, the BBC has agreed to the Wests’ request. Indeed, it is possible that West will not do any promotional work for the series, leaving it to co-stars Andrew Scott and Freddie Fox.
Inevitably, though, the first episode of The Pursuit Of Love, on May 9, will put the Wests’ marriage firmly back in the spotlight. ‘It was hard for Catherine to deal with all the publicity back then,’ says a friend. ‘Now it feels like Round Two.’
I mean, they have kids, I understand why Catherine is trying to give the marriage another shot, and maybe she genuinely still loves Dominic. But sheesh, these kinds of “reconciliation rules” rarely work out. I mean, if Dominic needed Catherine to demand that he not see Lily James anymore, then they truly have bigger problems. And the promotion for the miniseries is going to be a mess no matter what, my God. Anyway, I thought they would divorce but I guess they aren’t. For now.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN.
Maybe her number one rule is “don’t humiliate me” and she’s fine with the cheating as long as it’s not plastered all over the DM? I don’t understand being fine with someone who is chronically unfaithful-for all the talk about not breaking up your family-what the hell kind of example are you showing your kids?? But different strokes, I guess.
Maybe it’s just me, but I highly doubt I’d be able to sleep again with a man who had slept with another woman while married to me… He would never be able to touch me again, so why bother or try…?
But that’s just me.. Congrats to the women who are capable of forgiving…
Her new job: being the marriage police in her own marriage. It’s a terrible job, the pay is terrible, the cost to mental health is extreme.
I wouldn’t take that job again. I’m glad I quit!
Well put Jordana. That’s exactly what it is and I do feel for her. It’s so sad to me that for some women this is preferable than being single. Like somehow being single is an unhappier and less fulfilling way of living than this…. (Of course they have children which does changes things)
Same. I would never get over it, could not move past it, and would never stop bringing it up. Staying would be worse for the kids, in my household. Just end it in my book. To each her own, but I would be gone.
Same. The rules will drive her crazy and she’ll never have peace if he’s away for “work” or whatever. It’s not like the kids will grow up and thank her for staying in a dysfunctional marriage. Chick needs to go read Untamed. LOL.
Same. My husband and I had a fairly significant “difference of opinion” when he told me that his best friend (who I like and respect very much) had cheated on his wife at the beginning of their (25 year) marriage. I told my husband that it’s none of my business what happens in anyone else’s marriage, but that I wouldn’t be able to forgive that and our marriage would be over. He took it as me issuing an ultimatum on behavior he hadn’t exhibited and states he never would. I meant it as, “be aware that I am telling you out loud that there is no coming back from that for me, period.” I don’t believe he ever would cheat on me, because I wouldn’t be married to him if I did, but that’s a line in the sand for me. Don’t make me defend it.
I totally understand why women with small children do it, but I’m not in that position, and same here.
Yeah, Lily James is not the problem. She’s a result of the problem.
Exactly. If his wife thinks banning him from seeing one woman will stop him hooking up with others, she is a fool.
Aside from that, there has already been a mini series of this book which I loved. They need to come up with new books or ideas for tv.
helonearth yes! the rosamund pike one is perfection
Right? It was never about Lily.
He probably hasn’t even thought twice about Lily since this all happened, and will cheat again with whoever, first chance he gets.
Yep. He’s cheating for the ego boost, and no amount of rules or pleading are ever gonna fix that.
If I were the BBC folks I’d be like “lol, it’s not our problem you cheated on your wife with your co-star. You’re going to promote it the way we tell you to.” The whole thing is just so unprofessional from beginning to end.
Catherine seems like a nice woman. She deserves better.
Interesting style and pairing with these two. She appears so far removed, unaffected almost, from Hollywood glamour in these pics. I bet she glows in wellies and button downs in her Irish gardens.
Maybe he sets these terms- they seem extreme and very desperate- to keep her. Renewing of vows sounds lovely, but the rest is juvenile.
I’ve never known anyone who did a vow renewal who didn’t divorce soon thereafter.
Both sets of my grandparents did that on their 50th wedding anniversaries and didn’t get divorces after. 🙂
Vow renewals for couples celebrating forty, fifty years of marriage is one thing. When you do it after ten (or less) years then it rarely bodes well for the marriage.
I have no problem with my spouse spending time with anyone, male or female, because… I trust him not to cheat on me. If your marriage hinges on one party being forbidden to talk to a particular person, then seriously, what’s the point?
I just don’t get it. She’s literally an Irish noble with a whole castle. He’s a mess that seems to want to act out his character Noah or McNulty’s garbage in real life. I would leave if for no other reasons than:
1) I could never trust you again, not even to go to the corner store and
2) your kids need a functional loving relationship as a model and that includes knowing when to have some dignity and walk away.
She wants to keep the family castle. He co owns it, and not just by marriage. They bought it from her mother together. As long as she wants to keep it she’ll put up with him. The best she can hope for is just a little discretion. This is very far from being his first affair. It’s just the most humiliating one.
She’s might be titled but She’s not rich. He’s a busy working actor. They have young kids. This is about the economics and convenience.
Now she gets to spend her time and energy monitoring him. Congrats. Stupid people who play stupid games will win stupid prizes!
Lucky her. She’s giving up her dignity, pride, and freedom to what—essentially be her husband’s mother? Yeesh. 🤮🤮
Oh, gee, just in time for his new show with his side piece to debut.
I can’t even look at his smug d*uche face. And he’s playing Charles in the next two seasons of The Crown. Maybe that’s fitting?
I’ve watched all of The Crown until now, but I’m not sure I can stomach watching him in it after all this business. He just seems so very icky.
She chose…unwisely. The Wandering Penis doesn’t follow rules.
And her kids are going to keep suffering, as well.
Anyone else here assume they had an ‘agreement’ in their marriage as it pertains to extramarital affairs, and the only reason this one was not good was because the press found out? I read this whole sitution as polyamory-lite and find the whole hand-wringing about the state of their marriage a little reductive. This is basically the same thing that happened with Evan McGregor, where it was ok until it wasnt/he got publicly caught
No I think this too. That’s why I wasn’t hard on Lily James either. She was told they have an open marriage, for sure IMO. She got really burned here in fact.
There is nothing wrong in trying to repair your marriage after infidelity, but you have to address the root cause of the problem. If you think that simply being in the vicinity of that other person again in the future is going to lead to more cheating, then you are not addressing the problem. These rules and ultimatums are very immature and aren’t going to help them heal. They never do. Just my personal opinion.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just not for me. Open relationships aren’t for me either.
I certainly wouldn’t be able to get past it, but I try not to judge too harshly people who do. But just looking at this mess it’s clear that it won’t go well. Rules like that never work.
Same here Darla. Infidelity is just a dealbreaker for me.
This must have about as much truth to it as everything else the daily fail prints, because there’s no way a 49 year old woman is naive enough to believe that “rules” or banning him from seeing “the woman” he cheated with (as in there’s no way she thinks this is the only one, she is one of many, be realistic).
Does anybody remember when he dated Ali Wentworth? She wrote a book, talked about how he was a serial cheater, but never named him. The only reason I connected it was because she mentioned he was reading a book by George Stephanpols in the book she wrote, and like five years before the book said in an interview Dominic was reading the book and wanted her to read it.
I just find it so weird that she dated him.
Can we talk about her hair? Because her hair dates her by about 20 years, it’s always so awful.
Awful hair.
The only rule that would work for her is if she kept his dick in a drawer under lock and key.
Good luck.