In April 2021, Helen McCrory passed away after a lengthy cancer battle. Helen and her husband Damian Lewis didn’t talk about her cancer battle, and it felt like only close friends and family really knew how bad it was. It made Helen’s passing feel very sudden, and Damian seemed incredibly raw. He grieved her publicly in a statement, as did all of her coworkers and friends. Now, fourteen months later, Damian has moved on. He’s dating an American rocker! Alison Mosshart is 43 years old and the frontwoman for The Kills. They attended the Alchemist’s Feast a few weeks ago, and they stepped out in London again this week.
Damian Lewis and Alison Mosshart confirmed their romance as they cosied up together at private members’ club The House of KOKO’s summer party on Wednesday. The Homeland actor, 51, and the American rocker, 43, have now been pictured together four times in two weeks during a variety of high-profile outings.
Damian’s new romance comes 14 months after he was devastated by his beloved wife Helen McCrory’s death at the age of 52 after a secret battle with breast cancer. They had been married since 2007. Although he appears ready to embark on a new romance with Alison, Damian kept his wedding ring firmly on during their latest outing.
The new couple’s appearance comes as Alison’s mother told MailOnline she had given the relationship her seal of approval.
I bet he probably still feels married to Helen, but I also think he’s trying to move on and he knows it’s going to be messy and painful and it is what it is. A lot of men are like this too – they have a hard time being alone, especially after being married for so long. It also seems more than possible that Damian and Alison have been friends for a long time, and she’s been there for him in a big way since Helen’s passing. Damian also has two teenagers at home, I wonder how he’s dealing with being a single parent and figuring out his dating life.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.
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- Damian Lewis attends ‘The Alchemist’s Feast’, the inaugural summer party & fundraiser for the National Gallery’s Bicentenary campaign in London,Image: 702370200, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Damian Lewis attends ‘The Alchemist’s Feast’, the inaugural summer party & fundraiser for the National Gallery’s Bicentenary campaign in London,Image: 702370233, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Damian Lewis attends ‘The Alchemist’s Feast’, the inaugural summer party & fundraiser for the National Gallery’s Bicentenary campaign in London,Image: 702370287, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
I was hoping he was saving himself for me … but I am pleased he is dating someone age appropriate!
Dear madam (or sir), I politely ask you to step into the queue, behind me. I had no idea that we could call dibs on him already, out of respect for his loss, but now that the gates are open, I would like to make it know that I have privately expressed my wish to be read english poetry by him long ago.
Seriously though: good point about the appropriate age. Doesn’t come as a surprise though, the guy has been a class act all the way so far.
Excuse me *taps shoulders* I believe I was on the queue first 😉
Gentility does not afford you favor, milady.
(and haha, I’m not actually in line, peeps)
I think we can all share…
I think Damian would be up for that! Helen did always describe him as being a naughty boy.
I love these posts. Before Homeland, he had me at hello in the Life series.
I think men do this quite often, move on quickly after losing a spouse.
At least he waited longer than my uncle did. He already had someone 2 months after my aunt died. Understandably the family was pissed. Now he has moved to another state and does not talk to anyone. It is so bizarre.
She died after a “lengthy” battle with cancer. Most likely the grieving started before she died, which is often very common. ***Stevie*** mentioned below that happily married men date sooner, which may also be a factor. In my support group for people after their loved ones have died from cancer, one gentleman also started dating within 2 years. He says he misses his wife very much and its still a great loss, but she was dying for 3 years. He said SHE helped him say good bye so when the time came, easier is the wrong word, maybe peaceful?
I was thinking the same thing. While losing his wife was undoubtedly hard, having known her prognosis gave him time to process that loss before it actually happened. If he feels he is ready to move on, then I wish him all the happiness he can find!
@Stormyshay I had a similar case in my family, except that we later found out the guy was seeing the new woman while my relative was still alive, albeit very sick of cancer. Yes,but from my experience men tend to jump into dating soon after the spouse’s death. Women tend to wait longer or not date at all afterwards.
Sadly, plenty of men leave their sick wives. At least Damian stuck around til the end.
B Smith’s husband moved his girlfriend into her house while she was still alive.
I briefly worked at a church, and some of the older widowers were a trip. To be fair, most of them had gotten married right out of high school and this was their first time alone, but they just couldn’t stand it, and couldn’t take care of themselves. An older lady co-worker had a story about one of the gentlemen asking her out (his wife had passed after a long Alzheimer’s journey), and she said she was interested but going on vacation. She came back from vacation (one week), and he had married a widow.
A friend of mine’s dad started dating 9 weeks after his mom suddenly passed, again they’d married right out of high school. A lot of men who have been married a long time can’t handle being alone.
I wish Damien well, and I’m glad his girlfriend is age appropriate.
Agree with this. Have an uncle who remarried fairly quickly after my aunt died. They’d been married over 40 years.They’re used to being taking care of. I have no opinion since wasn’t close to them and don’t know the new spouse. Happy for Lewis in that people need love and affection, but it’s tough to be the first girlfriend of a widower. Hope at his age there aren’t any rabid fans.
There were two cases in my family. My grandpa got married less than six months after my grandma died. My BIL’s dad started dating less than three months after his wife died. He and the first girlfriend broke up and he was engaged to someone else by the one year anniversary of his wife’s death. Both men had been married to their high school sweethearts and been married for nearly 50 years.
14 months to me isn’t “quick”. It’s over a year, so it sounds like a decent amount of time from my perspective.
In my observation, the speed with which a man or a woman moves on is directly proportional to how happy the marriage was. People who were happy in their marriage are much more eager to find a new partner because they enjoy marriage.
Women tend to have better social safety nets than men is probably part of it. There’s a reason we tend to live longer than them after our partners die. There are more friends and family members to hold us together after a major loss. Men are trained to withhold their internal world for their spouse, which is part of why you get that double edged sword where they’re constantly dumping on their partner but also neglecting personal intimate relationships outside of it. It’s something our society could really do well to work on.
I think some men jump into serious relationships way too quickly after losing a spouse; but I don’t think 15 months is too bad when his wife obviously was sick for quite some time. I also dislike the phrase ‘moved on’. I know people who have lost partners and then repartnered and they never move on. They always love that person dearly and hold space for them in their heart. But they do start a new relationship. You can do both, mourn and love your late partner / spouse and allow someone new into your life…
I would turn over in my grave if my husband of 31 yrs, decided he was ready to move on to another woman. I think it’s not an accepptable time to make any relationship public. I have 2 grown children with my husband and 2 grandchildren. I doubt I would ever remarry….if i did I would wait a very long time. I can’t imagine what my children would think of me , If I went public with a new romance in 14 months.
Men who were happily married date sooner. They want to recreate that happiness.ASAP!
My mother(generally a very wise women) used to say this all the time. She would say in general society doesn’t encourage men to form deep emotionally supportive relationships while women often build those with their communities, and with their friends and partners. Therefore when a man who is happily partnered loses a spouse, not only are they losing that romantic happiness and companionship, they may be losing one of the few deep, emotionally resonate relationships in their lives. They move on quicker because of it.
Plus, I think they associate a sense of contentment in being paired.
Anyway, good for him. I remember reading his statement after her death and he seemed utterly gutted.
No, they want someone else to do their emotional labor, the cooking, cleaning, and they want their sexytimes back.
The men in my family who had their wives die were absolutely besides themselves when they were in their late 60s and had to figure out how to load a dishwasher. Daily chores just broke them, so they had to get replacements stat.
Eh, it depends on the man. My dad is 79 and my mom isn’t just his wife, she is absolutely his best friend. He knows how to cook and clean very well because they always do it together. They do everything together. He even loves going to her ladies brunches. I often worry about what will happen if she goes first.
Why would a 43year old woman require her mother’s seal of approval for heavens sake! She’s not a child, she’s a middle-aged female. Or is mama trying to insert herself to feel important?
@Emme is it a seal of approval or is it a check to see if she’s missed any flags? I definitely used my grandmother as a boyfriend checker. She was wily. She was a cute, little old lady and she could get away with asking questions and getting people to talk. She was also a bit wobbly on her feet and noticed if subtle help was also provided. She managed to spot a total wanker within 20 mins when the rest of us missed the signs. When she met my now husband, after he had left, she told me he was lovely and a keeper. She was right.
Maybe him and wife talked about it and he wanted him to move on quickly and be happy.
I suspect that was the case.
I’ll also give him massive credit for dating a 43 year old woman. Plenty of men with his fame, money, and options would have rolled out with a 20-something model.
In the Obit he wrote for her he claimed she said that she wants him to date again…here’s the quote
She has been utterly heroic in her illness. Funny, of course — generous, brave, uncomplaining, constantly reminding us all of how lucky we’ve been, how blessed we are. Her generosity has extended to encouraging us three to live. Live fully, take opportunities, have adventures. Only a couple of weeks ago she said to us from her bed, “I want Daddy to have girlfriends, lots of them, you must all love again, love isn’t possessive, but you know, Damian, try at least to get through the funeral without snogging someone.”
It’s such a nice Obit, I’m sniffling again. She was so amazing.
Exactly, she seemed very pragmatic. In that same tribute she is quoted:
“As she said repeatedly to the children, ‘Don’t be sad, because even though I’m about to snuff it, I’ve lived the life I wanted to.’”
And, being in her 40s, she’s age appropriate.
Thank you, I thought I remembered something like that. We all process grief, trauma and loss in very different ways and knowing it’s coming does seem to start the grief process sooner for a lot of people.
I wish them both every happiness, wherever this goes for them.
Absolutely loved Helen….I don’t know too much about him but what he wrote about her was very beautiful. I’m thinking I recognize the gf from a documentary about Anthony Bourdain (she was a friend of his). Don’t know anything about the band, but she is age appropriate. I wish them happiness.
I love that obit @OriginalRose. Helen knew she was dying and loved him so much she didn’t want him to feel like he should be alone. It reminds me of the funeral scene in Love Actually when Daniel talks about how he and Jo had quite a lot of time to talk about things and she suggested he brings Claudia Shiffer to her funeral as his date-Daniel said he thought Jo may have been kidding-something like that. When you love hard and well and have been loved hard and well, you understand how much the other person has to offer. You also know where you stand in that person’s heart. In the mid ’90s I fully supported a relationship between my best friend’s father and his new girlfriend six months after my bf’s mother died of stomach cancer. Why? My BF’s mother asked me too before she died. She had been setting the relationship up when she was diagnosed and knew her outcome wasn’t good. She laughed lovingly when she said she always knew that so and so would be the best replacement for her. D@mn, that is self awareness and love. There really shouldn’t be a time table on when you can love again after a partner’s death. If you’ve moved on in a couple of days, weeks, maybe a month, two or three, it’s a bit sketchy. Life and love happens unexpectedly.
Still one of my favorite funny/sad movie scenes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tJbXSiuRdE
That’s basically what happened in my family. My paternal grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1945, when treatment options were almost non-existent, and during the year between her diagnosis and her death, she actually helped choose her “replacement”. Besides wanting my grandpa to find happiness again, they also had 4 young kids at the time, and she wanted to make sure that their stepmom would raise them like they were her own. I think arrangements like that are probably more common than most people realize.
My heart dropped because I saw DATING name COMMA 14… I thought it was going to say she was 14 years old!!! I was about to throw my laptop.
OMG SAME!! I was like wtf is going on??
God, I know. I almost had a heart attack there. Thought we had a few decades to go before the normalization of child brides in the mainstream.
I did the EXACT same thing. And she could pass for 14 in that pic.
I’m sure it’s recreating happiness for some of them. I have to wonder if some of them just want a woman to do things for them.
She doesn’t strike me as the type of woman who would get with a man who was only looking for a chief cook and bottle washer.
Alison needs to stop with the bleach blond.
Her natural brunette or the darker hues she has done before works in her favor and doesn’t make her look flushed out.
Sometimes choosing what isn’t “flattering” is the whole point. Standing outside of everyone’s expectations can be deeply empowering.
A round of applauce for the very correct comment by ConcernFae.
Also: if she likes blonde, then let her have fun with it. She owes us nothing.
She’s going for a particular look. Let her LIVE.
She’s a rocker, I don’t think she is aiming to look conventionally beautiful.
I am biased though, because The Kills are one of my favorite bands. Midnight Boom is one of my favorite albums ever.
Yes, I had to scroll a long damn time to see some props for Allison and The Kills. Love them!!!!
Yeah, she’s pretty famous in her own right. I saw The Kills in NYC about 10 years ago – she tore the roof off Terminal 5, which isn’t the most intimate or forgiving spaces. Her bandmate was Kate Moss’s first husband.
She not “celebrity” but she’s famous. Very very cool for him to be with her.
Yay, more fans of The Kills! My people!
I’ve seen them 3 times. Once was at a tiny venue an hour outside of LA. Kate Moss was in the wings, which was fun, but even better was that I was so close to the stage. It was a great show. It’s amazing how much great music they made with just 2 people and some pedals.
My grandfather was truly obsessed with my grandmother and when he lost her early to cancer he was incoherently drunk for the first three months and then suddenly … started dating everyone. EVERYONE. We’re talking wayyyy too much PDA on the dance floor at my uncle’s wedding, proposing to multiple ladies on the 3rd-5th dates … mostly the women seemed to pick up that he wasn’t in a good place but he spent the rest of his life chasing what he’d had with my grandmother.
I only want good things for Damien so let’s hope whatever messiness he may experience is part of a productive healing process and the other people involved are clear-eyed and understanding.
I just found out a friend’s husband (she passed last year) we were shocked to discover he’d married within 8 months. I guess people make choices. As a friend of his wife it felt hard. But his choice..
I always remember gossip about Lewis that he had side pieces so there’s that.
Thanks for sharing your personal stories on here. Most of us will be touched by illness in families, or ourselves. It is important discussion
Those rumours were spread on CDAN, I wouldn’t trust them for their accurate reporting. Damien and Mary seem to have had a wonderful marriage and I’m sure she’s happy he’s found someone who makes him happy.
I think a year is a significant amount of time to grieve but it’s more complicated when you have kids. I still remember how quickly Patton Oswalt seemed to move on. His wife died in April 2016 and by November 2017 he married his new wife.
But my friend (a woman) also moved on fast-ish. She tragically lost her first husband in December 2018 in a freak accident after being married for 2 years (they had been together a lot longer). Her first husband left behind a baby son (I think he was about 8 months old at the time) who will never remember his biological dad. After a year of grieving, my friend decided she wanted to go on a date and met her second husband online in February 2020, a month before the pandemic lockdowns. Within weeks, he moved in with her (he worked in a restaurant so he lost his job not long after they met) and started taking care of her toddler son while she worked remotely. They were engaged by February 2021 and married July 2021. She recently gave birth to her second child (her second husband’s first bio kid). Her son calls his stepdad “Daddy” which she says is something he started doing on his own, she did not tell him to do that. He’s the only father that her son remembers and while my friend definitely has pictures of her first husband for her son, I think it will be a long time before her son realizes the enormity of what his mom lost. I did side eye the whole thing at first, especially since the second husband is not from the US and not a US citizen and you can’t help but wonder about the whole green card thing. But I’ve met him and while I haven’t interacted with him much, he definitely seems genuine and like a good guy. I’m happy my friend was able to bounce back from such a horrible tragedy.
Also forgot to add my uncle’s wife also moved on fast-ish after he died July 2018. I don’t call her my aunt even though I guess she technically was by marriage because she was his second wife and they married when I was in college. I can’t remember how fast she moved on but by 2019 she definitely already had a boyfriend who has since moved in with her. We jokingly call her the Black Widow behind her back because she was married to someone else before my uncle passed away and her first husband died. We morbidly joke about the new boyfriend lol (haven’t met him because she lives so far away but we hear about him all the time).
I just watched the second stand up special Patton Oswalt did after his wife passed. In the first one, he was still grieving. The second one was about how he moved on. He admitted straight up that his new relationship/marriage was a surprise even for him. He said that he had resigned himself to living in a personal grey zone while devoting himself to his daughter’s health and happiness. I am willing to give Damian some space on this. He’s trying to get on with his life and it can’t be easy.
Good for him. It’s been a year, so it’s not as if he started dating instantly. It also looks like he was only married once, and for 15 years. He’s maybe just a long term relationship oriented person, and maybe also doesn’t have a lot of experience dating around as a higher profile actor.
I figure when it comes to death, grief and moving on that it’s none of my business and we all process it differently. But I will say that I’m on the last episode of season 6 of Peaky Blinders and it’s still amazing, but how I miss Helen McCrory’s Aunt Polly! She was the heart of the show.
Just came here to say that, she was an incredibly talented actor.
Watched the first new episode last night. Not to do too many spoilers, but they honored her very nicely.
She was truly the sexiest woman I think I’ve ever seen on TV. I was gutted when she died. Can’t imagine how Mr. Lewis felt. I wish him great happiness, but I can’t imagine anyone filling her shoes.
Seems age appropriate. Wishing them all the best
I don’t feel anything about this. The spouse is dead and death is permanent. 14 months is very reasonable. All happiness to him and his children. It was a devastating loss.
I never comment but I just wanted to say thank you to all y’all who has been respectful about this story. It’s really lovely to see. When I was 27 at a family friendly daytime St Pats party a baby crawled up to me and wanted to be held.
That baby’s father became the love of my life (so far). We weren’t looking for each other. I’d brought a casual date. He swore he’d never love again. His wife had died tragically and suddenly seven months before.
We loved each other very much. And it was also messy and hard. And made worse that we were shamed for being together. I was called awful things by her family.
We ultimately parted. But — life is so unpredictable. And as ridiculous as it sounds sometimes people do fall in love. So thank you for being respectful about this story fellow commenters.
I wish them and all of you well.
An acquaintance of mine had a friend who passed away from cancer a few years ago. Shortly before dying, she told my friend “make sure he (her widower) at least gets some.” Obviously it was in a rather joking tone, but she meant it. I’m sure that was the case here. Anyways, I love Ali! She’s kickass and has her own thing going on.
Those who are commenting in a supportive manner, thank you. You are either naturally introspective and compassionate, or you know the devastating loss of someone you love.
My husband died after a long batter with cancer. It was my deepest honour to accompany his on that journey. The grieving process was ongoing, and shared between us. When he passed I was relieved for the end to his pain.
I began dating a year later. Word of warning, the first one (or two or three) people may not prove to be the ‘one,’ but more transitional figures.
Love to all who have lost.
“It was my deepest honour to accompany his on that journey.”
That was so beautiful and moving to read. Many hugs to you.
I have no idea how to say this but how can any of us judge the “right” amount of time to wait before putting ourselves out there after loss? Loss is messy, terrifying, and different for everyone.
HONK for Alison Mosshart! Love love her. She seems like a good egg.
I mean, I know we are all on a gossip site, but man these comments are really bumming me out. I guarantee you not a single person who has commented stuff like “men just don’t like being alone” or “that was fast” or any of the other weird things being said have never lost a spouse. When my dad started dating after my mom died, you know what the worst part of it was? People like these commenters who said weird, gossip-y stuff to me. Let the man live his life. We are all on this rock a short time.
+1 to everyone calling out those being judgy on timeline. I hate men more than most people do but seriously, grief is a terrible beast and everyone is on their own timeline.
Live and let live here! I have no real concept of what an appropriate amount of time to be more serious with someone after your spouse or partner has past, but 14 months seems more than fair.
I’m happy for the new couple and wish them all the best.
I lost my husband to a short cancer battle in 2017. He had been my soul mate for almost ten years. I started dating about six months later and for a couple of years was with someone who essentially was the wrong person at the right time.
A little over a year ago I started dating a man who was similarly six months out from the death of his soul mate of 42 years who had experienced an even shorter bout with cancer. It’s a very happy and fulfilling relationship. We both enjoy being coupled up yet are able to honestly share our individual grief journeys.
I guess everyone’s different. I don’t believe either of us see it as “moving on” in terms of bypassing the emotions of tremendous loss or trying to replace our amazing spouses. I think we both just feel strongly about living and loving for as long as we’ve got breath in our bodies – not just for ourselves but as a tribute to the ones that can no longer be here in body to walk that path with us but are forever a part of us in heart and soul.
Nimbolicious, thank you for your post and for sharing your truth. It means a lot to me. God be with you always.
My husband, the love of my life, has had cancer since November last year. I am a doctor so I have known from the outset how bleak his prospects are. He has had two huge operations, including one in the brain and now the cancer has progressed to stage IV. I have grieved every single day since his diagnosis and I have supported him 100%. I have taken a huge amount of time off work and am putting his needs before absolutely everything else. Living with death looming over you every day is horrific (our youngest is just 5 y o and it is totally heartbreaking). When this battle with cancer is over, if someone warm and alive offers to hold me and comfort me for a night (or longer) why should I say no??? Please don’t judge those of us whose beloved partners have passed (or are going to pass) before their time. We have been through hell on earth and most of us already feel guilty for being the one who gets to live.
I have been there, dear Ishqthecat. Yes – it’s horrific. My love had pancreatic cancer (pretty much the worst draw in the cancer lotto) and all went horribly from the get-go. A year from diagnosis he was gone.
For me too the grieving happened throughout the process and beyond. You’re deep in the rabbit hole now, I know, but you will be all right no matter the outcome. I didn’t think I’d make it through one more day at times. But I did. And you will. You will. 🙏❤️
I think this would make Helen really happy. I don’t know Allison Mosshart (and keep forgetting her name) but from all the photos I’ve seen whenever this news was mentioned she looks like a really happy and positive person.
Love Allison Mosshart- she is so artsy, and authentic! Don’t know who this guy is but he’s lucky to snatch her!
Ode to my 20s (stan The Kills):
Dancing on the legs of a new-born pony
Left right, left right, keep it up son
Go ahead and have her, go ahead and leave her
You only ever had her when you were a fever
My mom has outlived 2 husbands. Both times she was devastated. Yes it was hard seeing someone new in her life but she needed it. She was so sad. She is currently grieving the second one. I want her to have her sparkle back 😢
People that love with their whole heart are rarely offended by seeing people they’ve loved finding love again. Even in cases of divorce much less a terminal illness. In the last few years, we’ve seen people we know experience the loss of their partner. Personally and professionally. On a professional level, one woman, whose husband passed away 2 years ago, came into our place 5 weeks ago with her new friend. It was so adorably cute. We knew/known her and her husband for years. She comes in and says straight out, “This is my very good friend_______”. She is in her 70’s and was very cheerful with her new relationship. Love that for her.
Wow. This is not the headline I expected to see but I love this. Since their first album, I’ve been a huge fan of Alison and The Kills. I used to see her at Jones (a Hollywood/ WeHo bar-restaurant) all the time before the pandemic, and she was always so cool and nice. I think it’s great that Damian is finding love again with someone like Alison.
Is there anything sexier than a man that dates age appropriate, unconventional women (like that are rockstars!)? Love love love it.