Lily James has been pictured in public for the first time since photos emerged of her canoodling with married co-star Dominic West during a romantic weekend in Rome, Italy last month.
On Tuesday, the actress, 31, stepped out for dinner at Lemonia Greek restaurant in Primrose Hill, north London, with long-time pal Dominic Cooper, 42, in the wake of the scandal with West, 51.
Determined to keep a low-profile following dinner, Lily, who has been on the promo trail for her new movie Rebecca, lowered her head while he followed her into a black cab with a bottle of wine in hand.
As well as the shock of the snaps of her intimate lunch with West – taken on Sunday 11 October – Lily has also been hit with claims that she grew close to her married Rebecca co-star Armie Hammer.
Out and about: Lily James has been seen for the first time since photos emerged of her canoodling with married Dominic West during a romantic weekend in Rome, Italy last month, as she headed for dinner in London with her pal Dominic Cooper
Lily and Cooper were out for dinner yet kept a low-profile with the actress putting her hand over her face while he was hot on her heels with a bottle of wine in hand as he venture behind her.
Earlier this month, she became the subject of worldwide scrutiny, when the images emerged showing the actor and Lily enjoying an al fresco lunch with their mutual agent, Angharad Wood.
Lily and West enjoyed a two-day vacation in Italy where they were seen riding on a scooter through Rome, and Dominic appeared to at one point lean over and kiss Lily’s neck.
A source told MailOnline Dominic and Lily spent two nights in a suite at the top Hotel De La Ville with a panoramic view over the city and just at two minutes walk from the Spanish steps.
Just days later, West defiantly defended his marriage to wife Catherine FitzGerald, with the pair staging a photo opportunity outside their Wiltshire home and telling reporters: ‘Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together.’
Shocking: Earlier this month, she became the subject of worldwide scrutiny, when the images emerged showing the actor and Lily enjoying an al fresco lunch with their mutual agent, Angharad Wood
Low-key: Lily seemed keen not to be seen as she stepped out with a hat pulled low on her eyes after dining at Lemonia Greek restaurant in Primrose Hill, north London
Out and about: Lily, who dated The Crown star Matt Smith from 2014 until 2019, has raised eyebrows by forging close friendships with her co-stars in recent productions – Armie in Rebecca and West in BBC drama The Pursuit Of Love
Drink up! They took their drink to go when they left the restaurant
Lily dated The Crown star Matt Smith, 38, on and off for five years, with the relationship said to be over for cook just weeks before she was pictured with West.
In July, Lily was pictured enjoying a night out and a cosy park date in London with hunky Captain America star Chris Evans, 39.
The actress has raised eyebrows by forging close friendships with her co-stars in recent productions – Armie in Rebecca and West in BBC drama The Pursuit Of Love, which traces the romantic adventures of the free-spirited Linda Radlett between the two world wars.
West appears as the bullying and eccentric Uncle Matthew.
In an interview with The Guardian conducted before the dalliance in Rome, Ms James said she had known her co-star for ‘a really long time’ since they appeared together in a Shakespeare play a decade ago.
Speaking of his role in their latest venture, she added: ‘He’s a brilliant Uncle Matthew, another mad sort of character.
‘I have a great line in it where I say, “Matthew is frightening and I disapprove of him, but I feel he sets the bar for English manhood.” What a great line.’
Lily featured in a number of steamy embraces with The Social Network star Armie in the recent Netflix adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca – but it was their off-camera chemistry that prompted gossip on the set that they had become an item, before he split from his wife this summer.
The actor, who stars as the mysterious Maxim de Winter, split from wife Elizabeth Chambers, 38, in July after 10 years of marriage, and they share children Harper, five, and Ford, three.
A film insider also told the publication: ‘She and Armie were obviously close and spent a lot of time together in the evenings and at weekends.’
Meanwhile, following the emergence of the images of her lunch with West, Lily pulled out of a series of promotional appearances to plug Rebecca and has remained silent on the scandal ever since.
It was reported last month that that West’s wife Catherine has held crisis talks with her family over the future of her marriage.
Catherine, 49, was said to have been left devastated when the images emerged, yet two days later, the couple defended their marriage in a smug photo opportunity outside their Wiltshire home.
Off you go: The duo zipped away in a black cab together after the dinner
Support: West, 51, put on a defiant display of unity with his wife Catherine FitzGerald
Way back when: As well as the shock of the snaps of her intimate lunch with West – taken on Sunday 11 October – Lily has also been hit with claims that she grew close to her married Rebecca co-star Armie Hammer (pictured with his estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers)
Despite their display, insiders claim Catherine, who shares Dora, 13, Senan, 12, Francis, 11, and Christabel, seven, with the actor, is now at her home in County Limerick, Ireland where she is deciding the future of her marriage.
A source told The Sun: ‘She’s holed up in her family’s ancestral home, Glin Castle in County Limerick, thinking everything over.
‘Catherine has called on Nesta and Honor to help her as she’s been struggling to come to a decision about whether she and Dominic can go back to how they were.
‘Nesta has told friends that it felt like a family crisis meeting. Both she and Honor are fiercely protective of their older sister and want only what’s best for her, even if that means Catherine walking away.’
Off we go! She was headed home with her pal as she sported a mask while he opted to forego a face covering
The insider added to the publication that Catherine has been left feeling humiliated over her husband’s recent actions.
In the wake of the scandal, Catherine flew into Shannon airport in County Clare and travelled to her family castle 50 miles away.
Regarding her relationship with Armie, sources close to the actor and his wife Elizabeth Chambers, said their marriage went into a nose-dive in the Autumn of 2019 after she found passionate texts and letters from a mystery woman who signed herself ‘Adeline’.
While Adeline’s identity remains a mystery, sources also claimed Lily and Armie grew close after appearing in passionate scenes in the adaptation of the 1938 Daphne du Maurier novel, and insiders added that the pair formed a close bond on set.
Armie and Elizabeth announced their split in July after 10 years of marriage and it was reported earlier this month that he had filed for joint custody of their children.
Lily and Armie finally made a joint appearance after cancelling a string of interviews following her recent Dominic West scandal on Mark Wright’s Heart show last week.
Intimate: It’s been claimed that Lily and Armie grew close after appearing in passionate scenes in the adaptation of the 1938 Daphne du Maurier novel, and insiders have now claimed the pair formed a close bond on set
Before that, Lily had pulled out of interviews with the Today show in America earlier this week and the upcoming episode of The Graham Norton Show.
During their joint appearance Lily discussed her love for the Spice Girls, but again failed to address that romantic liaison with Dominic.
Mark told Lily that Emma Bunton, who she is a fan of, has her own Heart show and Lily said: ‘I love Emma so much, and I went to the Spice Girls gig and she met me back stage and it was one of the greatest days of my life…
‘I was with my two best friends and my other best friend lives in New York and Emma did a video with us and was like “Hi Danni” and honestly us four best friends have known each other since we were eleven, it was one of the greatest moments of our life. I adore her.’
Armie chimed in and spoke about her emotional reaction to the video, adding: ‘Lily came to work the next day after the Spice Girls concert and while in the makeup trailer talking to her makeup artist about the fact that she got a video with Emma, she started crying.’
Lily also detailed the strop she had when she thought she was going to miss the show, and said:
‘Also, on the night of going, they kept me later than they should have. They went overtime and I have never thrown a tantrum on set before, and I was livid, wasn’t I Armie? I thought I was going to miss the Spice Girls!’
Mark didn’t question Lily on her recent headline-grabbing getaway, where she was pictured cosying up to Dominic during the romantic weekend away.
Drink up! It seems the duo did not finish their bottle of wine so brought it with them
Lily made her first TV appearance following the controversy on the Wednesday before, when she appeared on he Jimmy Fallon show without Armie to discuss their film. She addressed Mamma Mia 3! rumours during the chat.
Jimmy, 46, also did not broach the scandalous subject which saw Dominic and his wife Catherine FitzGerald, 49, take part in a bizarre photocall outside their Cotswolds home last week, insisting their ‘marriage was strong.’
Lily’s interview segment opened with Jimmy asking about her quarantine project of teaching a Broadway class over Zoom.
She said it was her first time teaching and the project consisted of Broadway and West End professionals teaching theatre classes online to students.
‘It’s great because, you know, when these performers can’t perform because of lockdown they’re getting to share their skills and people at home can be creative and learn and try and have some fun,’ Lily said.
‘I was teaching audition technique which is insane because I am terrible at auditions. I auditioned for Mamma Mia! during Glastonbury weekend. I knew I had to sing in this audition, I was desperate for this part.
‘It was due to be scheduled at the end of Glastonbury. I knew for sure that after screaming in a field for five days there was no way I would be able to sing, so I did it on the way in the car.
‘I had the car parked and filled to the brim with wellies. I went to Glasto. My phone ran out of battery
She’s BACK! Last month, Lily made her first solo TV appearance following her holiday where she addressed Mamma Mia 3! rumours during the chat and spoke about Rebecca
Quarantine project: Jimmy, 46, did not broach the scandalous subject and opened Lily’s interview segment by asking about her quarantine project of teaching a Broadway class over Zoom
‘It wasn’t until on the way home, I plugged my phone in and my agent called me. I was like, [raspy voice]… ‘Hello!’
‘She said: ‘You got the job!’ I said ‘Please say it doesn’t start soon’.’
Fallon asked Lily: ‘The producers say it was meant to be a trilogy, so there may be a Mamma Mia! 3 in the works. Would you be interested?’
‘Yes, I would do 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,’ she replied. ‘I’m down. Signed, sealed, delivered, I’m theirs.’
Lily also plugged her new movie Rebecca and particularly praised her co-star Kristin Scott Thomas, 60, for her work in the movie.
‘She’s just chilling and wonderful in every way,’ Lily said.
Meanwhile, Lily can breathe a sigh of relief because her next screen role involves no romantic interest. She is set to play Peggy Jo Tallas, a Texan outlaw who held up a string of banks in the 1990s – dressed as a man.
But while the armed robber was no stranger to adrenaline, her love life – unlike Miss James’s – was apparently non-existent.
Ms James’s forthcoming movie, Peggy Jo, has been described as ‘Bonnie but without the Clyde’ and will be filmed early next year on location in Texas and the southern United States.
The action begins in May 1991 when Tallas – in her trademark disguise of a stetson hat and a fake beard – starts her crime spree.
Following a robbery in 2005, Tallas – then aged 60 – was shot dead after pointing a fake gun at police. Peggy Jo is expected to be in cinema by the end of 2021.
Lily recently revealed she undergoes shamanic healing sessions via Zoom as she continues her latest round of promotional appearances.
In an interview with the Guardian Weekend magazine, released last month, the actress told how she is ‘horribly gullible’ and ‘easy to convince’.
Shamans are believed to be able to communicate with spirits through magic, rituals and spiritual visions.
While shamanic healing can include the shaman removing or replacing energies within the individual’s soul. It is a practice that has been used around the world for more than 100,000 years.
Talking about her shamanic healing sessions guided with a healer, Lily said: ‘Over Zoom, with music and drumming and a healer who has led me through all these different rooms in my brain where I had all these messages. I met my grandmother’s dog Dylan, who taught me to laugh.’
Lily admitted that she is ‘horribly gullible’ and ‘easy to convince’, revealing that she was once approached by a fortune teller on Venice Beach in California.
She said: ‘She came up to me and she said some s** to me that was so right, it was terrifying. But immediately the person I was with said, ‘Come on, Lily, she knows who you are’ which was true, maybe.’
Lily went on to admit that she’s concerned the world has become too ‘moralistic’, saying that with art and life it’s ‘never black and white’ with everything happening in the ‘grey area’.
She said: ‘I think conversations about things that are difficult can become very much one side versus the other. We’re in a time where I feel things become very moralistic, and then it’s very difficult to explore around the edges.’