Dominic West Was Caught Cheating With Lily James—But He And Wife Catherine FitzGerald Are Still "Very Much Together"

Once again, there's trouble in paradise. And this time, there are pictures to prove it. 

Dominic West, a 50-year-old English actor and director, was caught cheating on his wife in Rome over the weekend, sharing a passionate kiss with actress Lily James (Downton Abbey, Mamma Mia!, Yesterday). The very public display of affection would have just been a romantic moment between a couple in love, except, Dominic is, in fact, a married man.

He's been married to Catherine FitzGerald, an Irish aristocrat and heiress, for a decade and shares four children with her. Eagle-eyed fans of the actor were quick to point out that his wedding ring was nowhere to be seen in the photos, convincing people of the affair that have made their rounds online. 

Catherine, upon seeing the news, was reportedly devastated as she and Dominic had not been separated and were very much still a married couple, according to her. She called on the company of friends to help her get through through the shock and calm her nerves. 

Those who have followed his career aren't all that surprised about Dominic cheating on his wife. In fact, in more than one interview with the media, Dominic has openly talked about his views on extra-marital affairs and mistresses. 

He once said that people should turn a blind eye to men in their 40s and 50s who stray from the married path, monogamy is unnatural, and that women should be more indulgent of affairs. Dominic made all of these statements when he and Catherine were already married.

Dominic is actually most famous for starring in the 2014 TV series The Affair, where he plays a married man who gets involved with a grieving widow. 

It has yet to come to light how this controversy will affect he and Lily's ongoing project. The two star alongside each other in the TV adaptation of The Pursuit of Love, scheduled to premiere later this year.

While anyone would think that Dominic cheating on his wife with Lily would be enough to end his marriage, he and Catherine have actually made amends and are back to being the happily married couple that they are.

As the story goes, Dominic flew back to Catherine the moment he'd learned about her reaction to the controversy. The pair must have smoothed things over as just two days after the affair came to light, the couple had taped a handwritten note on their home's gate reading, "Our marriage is strong and we're very much still together. Thank you." 

What they talked about behind closed doors, we'll never know. Turns out, this Hollywood marriage could be saved after all. 

Photo from @liliyjamesofficial /  Still from BBC's "The Hours"