affair

IT was a showbiz scandal that shocked the world: esteemed actor Dominic West was seen with his arms around his stunning young co-star Lily James, before gently nuzzling her neck as they frolicked in Rome.

The photos would spark one of the most awkward photo ops of the past decade when Dominic and wife, Catherine Fitzgerald, stood on their doorstep with a handwritten note to announce that their marriage would weather the infidelity storm. But six years on, we can reveal how his aristocrat wife really felt about his dalliance with the young starlet 20 years his junior – and the impact it had on their marriage.

Catherine, who married Dominic in 2010, was thrust into the spotlight when her husband, 56, became embroiled in a scandal with his then 32-year-old co-star Lily James while filming The Pursuit of Love in 2020.

The actor, who famously said “women should be more indulgent of affairs”, had been playing Lily’s father on screen when they were caught off-screen in romantic clinches.

Photos which emerged of the couple riding around the city of love on an electric scooter before canoodling on a restaurant terrace were a sting to his devoted wife.

Back in the UK, Catherine, 54, who was born into vast wealth, was working on her passion projects – she runs a garden design company with famed landscape architect Mark Lutyen and also owns Glin Castle, her family’s 14th-century ancestral home in Ireland.

As the photos were published, a media frenzy began and Dominic flew home for crisis talks with his wife.

Dominic said sorry at the time for embarrassing her and they all moved on.

Insider

In an unprecedented move, the couple then staged a bizarre photo opportunity outside the family home in Wiltshire.

Holding up a piece of paper that read: “Our marriage is strong, and we’re very much still together”, Catherine appeared unfazed while Dominic – described by Piers Morgan as looking like “the cat who got the cream” – stood grinning alongside her.

At the time, it was said that Catherine was left “humiliated”, with sources claiming Dominic had confessed to “having feelings” for the actress.

But the mother-of-four stayed by Dominic’s side, with sources telling us she is “the glue that holds the family together away from the cameras”.

The insider told us: “Dominic said sorry at the time for embarrassing her, and they all moved on.”

Dominic, who had first worked with Lily in 2011 on stage in Sheffield, is said to have stopped contact with Lily to save his marriage, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth.

Our source continues: “Lily was left feeling hurt by his betrayal and disappointed that she was painted as the scarlet woman and hung out to dry.”

Six years on, Lily is currently single following her split from musician Michael Shuman. She saw in the New Year surrounded by friends in Mexico.

Dominic, meanwhile, was busy recording a podcast – Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud – in which he opened up about his eldest daughter Martha’s mother, Polly Astor. The interview raised eyebrows.

He was asked if the end of his relationship in 2002 was “one of the big sadnesses” or “shames” of his life.

He replied: “I suppose so, yes. I suppose I wish my eldest daughter had had some of the advantages or some of the security that my others have had.

“I think I was too young. I was 28.”

I hurt Polly very badly, but at the time I wasn’t ready to settle down.

Dominic on split from Polly

He quickly backtracked and admitted it had actually just come “at the wrong time”.

Speaking about his roles as a father and partner, he said: “It was terrible because it was all me. I wanted out. I hurt Polly very badly, but at the time, I wasn’t ready to settle down.

“I was doing films all over the place and didn’t want to be tied down. Then I got The Wire.”

In another interview about the split, he previously admitted: “Martha was about three when Polly and I split up, and The Wire was very much a part of it. Women were extremely important to me, and I wanted to be selfish for a bit longer. I wanted to play the field, I suppose.”

From there, Dominic’s career went from strength to strength – and by 2002, he had started dating Catherine. 

Dominic and Catherine share four children together – daughter Dora, 14, Senan, 12, Francis, 11, and seven-year-old Christabel. 

The Crown star gushed to British Vogue in 2015: “I think I have a really good marriage, mainly because my wife is so cool and I adore her and we have all these kids.

It’s daft to kick someone out over a fling.

Dominic on affairs

“The mistake people might make, if I may be so bold, is expecting so much of a marriage and hoping that there can be perfection.”

His attitude towards marriage raised eyebrows, but it wasn’t until a year later that his relationship really came under scrutiny. 

In 2016, he said: “I think women should be more indulgent of affairs. I really do. It’s daft to kick someone out over a fling. Isn’t it? Everyone should turn a blind eye to men’s behaviour between the ages of 40 and 50. Let it all blow over.”

He also said that monogamy was “not the necessarily natural way to be, therefore there will always be adultery and intrigue about it”.

And Dominic’s wife certainly seemed to be on the same page when his relationship with Lily came under the spotlight. 

Speaking about the Lily James scandal in 2024, Dominic admitted it was “deeply stressful” for his wife and children, though the couple have since found humour in the situation.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Dominic, who played Prince Charles in seasons five and six of The Crown, said: “I hesitate to speak on my wife’s behalf because it was obviously horrible, particularly for her. But we do joke about it sometimes. Because whenever we went out together, the papers would always say we were ‘putting on a show of unity’.

“Even if we’d just been rowing about parking the car or whatever, even if that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“And so when we go out, we do sort of say, ‘Shall we go out and have a show of unity up in London?’”

He added: “It was an absurd situation. It was deeply stressful for my wife and my kids, but there were lighter moments. That was the best that came out of it, really.”

Rekindled romance

Catherine and Dominic had actually met and dated years before they got together when they were both undergraduates at Trinity College Dublin.

Catherine told the Belfast Telegraph: “We went out together for six months, and we had great fun. He actually came to my 21st [in Northern Ireland], then he left, and we split up.

“Our best friend was also at Trinity with us. We all went on to have separate lives, but were linked through our best friend, Dominic Geraghty, also an actor.

“And I went to Wisley and did all this garden stuff and retrained. Then, when Dominic was doing The Wire, we met again through our friend Dominic; I was 32 then. I feel so lucky.”

Catherine was previously married to Viscount Lambton, the 7th Earl of Durham, in 1995, but the pair divorced in 2002 before she rekindled her romance with Dominic.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Martha’s mum, Polly, went on to date Dominic Geraghty, and all four of them remained close.

It sounds like it could be something from a romcom – and fortunately, Dominic is the perfect person to play the lead.