Hugh Bonneville’s wife Lulu broke down in tears as she told friends he had abruptly ended their 25-year marriage in July – just weeks before he giggled at Downton Abbey co-star Michelle Dockery’s wedding.
At the wedding of his Downton Abbey co-star Michelle Dockery last weekend, Hugh Bonneville looked more polished, with the wedding ring he had worn for 25 years nowhere in sight – and neither was his faithful wife Lulu Williams.
While friends say Mrs Williams, 55, cried in a pub as she spoke about the break-up she is expected to be ‘devastated’ by, Bonneville, 59, appeared life and soul as he giggled with wedding guests outside the church in West -London, just nineteen years ago. days ago.
Mrs William was reportedly overheard sharing details of the breakdown of her marriage in a pub near the former couple’s home in West Sussex. Friends say she cried as she talked about the heartbreak with a local storyteller The sun: ‘She became incredibly emotional when she talked about the breakup.’
And at Windsor Castle in May, when he hosted the King’s Coronation Concert, he also appeared to lose weight.
Hugh Bonneville’s (left) wife Lulu (right) broke down in tears as she told friends he had abruptly ended their 25-year marriage in July
At the wedding of his Downton Abbey co-star Michelle Dockery last weekend, Hugh Bonneville looked more polished, with the wedding ring he had worn for 25 years nowhere in sight – and neither was his faithful wife Lulu Williams.
When he hosted the King’s Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle in May, he also appeared to lose weight
While friends say Mrs Williams, 55, is ‘expectedly devastated’ by the couple’s split, Bonneville, 59, seemed alive and well as he giggled with wedding guests outside the church in west London nine days ago.
He was tanned and relaxed as he chatted with friends – many from the ITV period drama in which he played the Earl of Grantham – as Mrs Dockery married Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s brother Jasper. It is not known if there is a new lady in his life, but those close to Mrs Williams have been supportive, with one saying: ‘It’s clear Lulu feels like 20 years of marriage counts for nothing.’
It is understood they split in July, with another source claiming he sat her down one night and said it was over.
Over the weekend, a Bonneville spokesperson confirmed that the couple, who have a 20-year-old son, Felix, had indeed separated.
Although it came as a shock to some, there have been rumors within show business over the years that all was not well in the relationship.
However, Mrs. Williams regularly supported her husband at premieres and accompanied him on film sets around the world.
It is unknown whether she visited him on the set of Paddington In Peru, Bonneville’s latest film and the third film in the Paddington franchise, filmed this summer.
Five years ago, on the occasion of their twentieth wedding anniversary, the couple renewed their vows in Las Vegas.
In 2012, Mrs Williams insisted she was unimpressed by her husband’s fame. She said, ‘I don’t pay attention to it. I don’t notice women looking at him – even though I know everyone is talking about it. Remember, we met as teenagers and we have a lot of history.
Hugh became a superstar for his portrayal of the Earl of Grantham in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey. Pictured: Hugh in the show
A source claimed that Hugh, pictured here in London in October last year, ‘had lost some weight this summer, looking trim, tanned and relaxed’
Hugh Bonneville and Lulu Evans at the Viceroy’s House, film premiere, London, UK – February 21, 2017
Bonneville and Lulu were last seen together in public at the Old Vic Theater in London during a gala in April
‘We are not deterred by the show business world. We’re just people who love the house.’
Lately, however, Bonneville has been spending time away from the family home in the sleepy town of Midhurst, West Sussex, which he and Lulu had bought a few years ago.
It is thought Ms Williams will remain there.
Sources close to the now estranged couple say the decision to part ways is “fairly recent.” In fact, Bonneville was still wearing his gold wedding ring when he led the coronation concert on May 7.
Hugh Bonneville has announced he is divorcing his 25-year-old wife Lulu Williams. Pictured: the couple at the world premiere of Downton Abbey: A New Era in April last year
Pictured: Hugh as Reverend Roland Wise in the BBC series Rev
Hugh Bonneville has confirmed he has been separated from his wife of 25 years, Lulu Williams. Pictured: Hugh at the Downton Abbey premiere in New York in September 2019
Hugh Bonneville and Lulu Williams pose for photographers at the world premiere of Paddington in November 2014
A few weeks earlier, he and Ms Williams appeared at a gala at the Old Vic Theater in London.
Now the couple’s friends are warning against expecting any form of reconciliation, with one saying: ‘Divorce seems the most likely outcome.’
In seven weeks, Bonneville will turn 60. After once calling his wife his “base,” he is now entering his seventh decade as a bachelor, something he confessed he always thought he would be before meeting Lulu.