Life is imitating art … or at least getting close to it for the married star of “The Affair,” Dominic West.
Earlier this week, pictures emerged of the British actor — without his wedding ring — cozying up to Lily James in Rome during a break in filming the upcoming miniseries “The Pursuit of Love.” The co-stars appeared to be living up to the title of the project, nuzzling each other’s necks and seeming to kiss during a lunch date, before zipping around the city on a shared electric scooter.
The photos sparked speculation of an on-set romance, putting West, a father of five who has four children with wife Catherine FitzGerald, in a precarious position.
Instead of letting the rumor mill run into overdrive, however, on Tuesday, he confronted the controversy head on.
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The actor held an impromptu press conference with FitzGerald outside of their home in the English countryside to address the state of their relationship.
“Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together,” he told reporters, according to The Daily Mail and The Sun before the couple shared a kiss, while photographers snapped pictures.
And in case their stance wasn’t clear, West and FitzGerald handed the press a note bearing the same message, which they both signed.
However, they declined to answer any further questions about West cozying up to James, who has yet to comment publicly on the matter.
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Both The Daily Mail and The Sun noted that West was still not wearing his wedding band on Monday, while FitzGerald seemed to conceal hers for the duration of the press conference.
The couple then reportedly returned to their home and later drove away with one of their children.
West and FitzGerald, a landscape designer and descendent of Irish royalty, wed in 2010 and live part-time in her family’s historic 20,000-square-foot estate known as the Glin Castle.
Last year, Architectural Digest filmed a tour of the property with the couple.
James, meanwhile, recently split with her partner — “The Crown” star Matt Smith — after five years together and has since been linked to Captain America himself, Chris Evans.
James and Evans were spotted out and about together in London over the summer, but both have refused to confirm or deny the potential romance.
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