In 2020, Dominic West found himself in the middle of a media storm that suggested his marriage to wife Catherine FitzGerald had come to an end. Two years later, the couple are still going strong.
Now, all eyes are back on West following the release of the fifth season of The Crown, in which he plays then-Prince Charles. And instead of ignoring the scandal that enveloped him several years prior, the actor took the bull by the horns with a great big “nothing to see here” display by bringing Fitzgerald along to the red carpet premiere.
So what actually happened between West and the other woman at the centre of the 2020 scandal, Lily James? And are West and FitzGrald still together? Below, everything to know about the couple.
Who is Dominic West’s wife?
West is married to Catherine FitzGerald, a landscape designer who reigns from Ireland. Part of an aristocratic family, FitzGerald isn’t so far removed from the blue-blooded King her husband is famous for playing onscreen. Her father, Desmond FitzGerald, is known as the last Knight of Glin and owned a large Castle in Ireland. Before marrying West, Fitzgerald married another aristocrat named Edward Lambton, Viscount Lambton, making her Viscountess Lambton. The pair divorced in 2002 after seven years of marriage.
FitzGerald inherited her father’s castle alongside her sisters when he passed away, and now she and West operate the estate as a hotel and event venue.
How long have Dominic West and Catherine FitzGerald been married for?
West and FitzGerald married in 2010, seven years after her divorce from Edward Lambton. The pair have since had four children together, and their second eldest, Senan West, is a budding actor just like his father. Senan even appeared in the fifth season of The Crown in which he played his father’s onscreen son, a young Prince William.
What happened Between Dominic West and Lily James?
In 2020, West and Pam & Tommy star Lily James were pictured kissing while holidaying in Rome together. The pair also didn’t seem to be bothered by people seeing them, with cameras capturing multiple PDA moments as they traipsed around the European city.
The pictures came as a shock given that up until that moment, fans believed West was happily married to FitzGerald.
West, who was 20 years James’ senior, appeared besotted with James over the two day Roman getaway, and it was noted that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring in the paparazzi images.
How did Dominic West and Catherine Fitzgerald respond to the photos?
The scandal took another turn when West returned to his family home in the Cotswolds where he and Fitzgerald faced the media together, pictured with their arms around each other and sharing a simple statement: “Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together. Thank you.”
Fitzgerald also later told the Mail Online that the pair were “fine”, as well as refuting any unsolicited advice.
“We’re fine, thank you very much, yes we are,” she told the publication. “Things are OK between us. We don’t need any advice from anyone, thank you.”
Following the appearance, reports claimed FitzGerald had travelled to Ireland where she spent time with family.
“She’s holed up in her family’s ancestral home, Glin Castle in County Limerick, thinking everything over,” one source told The Sun. “She’s been struggling to come to a decision about whether she and Dominic can go back to how they were.”
When questioned by reporters about his wife’s trip to Ireland, West was quick to clarify things: “She’s on a work trip. She’s gone by herself,” he told media, adding that they were “very much together.”
“Of course we are, very much together. Our relationship is fine.”
Are Dominic West and his wife Catherine Fitzgerald still together now?
Yes, the couple appear to have worked through the scandal privately and have stepped back into the public eye as a team of two.
In 2021, a friend of the family’s told Conde Nast Traveller that the pair had even discussed getting remarried.
“The idea of remarrying was talked about,” they told the publication.
“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.”