Dominic West has opened up about the experience he went through after photos of him and Lily James together in Rome emerged last year. West revealed, in an interview with The Sunday Times, that the incident deeply affected his family, particularly his wife, Irish aristocrat Catherine Fitzgerald, whom he has been married to since 2010. Following the photo leaks, West and Fitzgerald appeared outside their home and addressed the paparazzi, kissing each other and placing a sign outside their home confirming they were both still together.
West, reflecting on the public scrutiny that followed, expressed that he had an acute understanding of what it feels like for your name and photo to come up in the newspapers. He spoke about the freezing moment of horror when something is being revealed about you and described how it is not something to take lightly. West, who portrayed then Prince Charles in The Crown, shared that he believes anyone can understand the feeling of anxiety and fear he felt during that experience.
Moreover, West explained the effect the photo leak had on his wife, saying that he hesitates to speak on her behalf because it was notably horrible, mostly to her. West and his wife found humor in the situation and joked about it once in a while, especially when the papers referred to them as “putting on a show of unity.” Despite the lighter moments, the situation was deeply stressful for his wife and children.
In another incident, an advert featuring West ran on Nationwide in the UK, but it was banned for being misleading. The advert showed West speaking to a fake IT operator while his wife heard what was happening over the phone, and it suggested it could happen to Nationwide customers. The commercial watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority, ruled that the advert must not be shown again
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