Lily James and Dominic West were reportedly seen “kissing and cuddling” on their flight to Rome.
Last weekend, Lily and Dominic were photographed in the Italian capital – where they were seen kissing, putting their arms around each other and enjoying an intimate lunch.
Dominic returned home to his wife Catherine FitzGerald on Monday night, and the married couple shocked the world by putting on a united front outside their home in the Cotswolds on Tuesday morning – insisting their marriage was “still strong”.
An onlooker has since told The Sun that Lily and Dominic were getting close on the flight over, with the publication also sharing new photos of the pair at the airport.
“I recognised him instantly but wasn’t sure who she was,” the onlooker said.
“At first, I thought she was his daughter, as I knew he was around 50 and you could tell she was a lot younger.
“Within minutes of the plane leaving, they began kissing and cuddling after both removed their masks,” the witness claimed.
“They looked like a couple heading for a dirty weekend and they were all over each other. They were French kissing and there was a lot of necking going on.”
Dominic married Irish landscape designer Catherine back in 2010, and the couple share four children – Dora, 13, Senan, 12, Francis, 11, and Christabel, 7.
Catherine is a member of the FitzGerald dynasty, an Irish royal and aristocratic dynasty that originated in Normandy.
Her father, Desmond FitzGerald, was the last Knight of Glin – and Catherine grew up at her family’s ancestral home, Glin Castle, in County Limerick.
Despite releasing a statement insisting their marriage is “strong” and that they are both “very much still together”, an insider told the MailOnline that Catherine “is privately fuming” over the photos of her husband with Lily.
“There are some difficult conversations to be had, but those will take place behind closed doors,” they continued.
“For now she was happy to display a show of unity and will always put her family first.”
Another old acquaintance said: “I saw those pictures today. I don’t know what’s going on. Catherine is very direct. There’s no nonsense with her.”
“She’s always been kind and sweet but she doesn’t take crap. I think anyone who knows her would say that. She’s a very cool person. I just hope she’s ok.”
Speaking to the Irish Independent, an anonymous local defending Dominic, saying: “He is an absolute gent and Catherine is a lovely lady and they are very well got in these parts.”
“They are extremely good community people for Glin. They have never refused to help. If their name alone can add to something to whatever is going on, they always do.”
“Last year, we did a play for the 200th anniversary of the Cailin Bán, a local girl who was murdered by a man Scanlan who used to work for the Knight of Glin,” they explained.
“Over two nights, we got 400 people into a marquee and Dominic West starred. It was the only two nights he had free, and he gave up his time. He’s a very good guy. I don’t know what he is doing in his private life, that’s his business.”
“What struck me about the photos were they seemed a bit set up. Would the paparazzi be following the likes of Dominic West? It seemed peculiar to me,” they confessed.
“I hope they are OK is all I would say. Their children are fabulous. We would really hate to see him leaving – he is an asset to us.”
“Ah, sure look he is a grand fella. He walks into the pub and has his pint of Guinness, sits down with the lads and has a chat until kicking out time.”
“If you didn’t know who he was you wouldn’t take a blind bit of notice of him – do you know what I mean,” they added.
Lily and Dominic are set to star in Emily Mortimer’s adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s novel The Pursuit Of Love for the BBC, which began filming in July.
The three part romantic comedy-drama is being filmed in the Bristol and Bath area of England.
