Defiant Dominic West and his wife Catherine FitzGerald kissed and put on a united front outside their home on Tuesday after his passionate clinch with Lily James, but the actor’s wedding ring was still off.
The couple smiled and told reporters: ‘Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together,’ before bizarrely handing out a piece of paper which bore the same words – written by the actor, 50 – and featuring both of their signatures.
They had emerged from their home near Chippenham, Wiltshire, shortly after 10.30am and Dominic made a point of showing off his wedding ring-free hand.
Mother-of-four Catherine kept her ring finger in her jeans pocket as she leaned in to kiss her husband, just one day after MailOnline published pictures of her husband of 10 years engaged in an amorous embrace with Lily, 31.
Despite their smiling display, Catherine appeared uncomfortable as she emerged from her home with West, pausing before facing the waiting media.
She had a scrunched-up tissue hidden in her hand, which could indicate that she had been crying.
They then handed out the signed piece of paper, before West turned and kissed Catherine as the two returned to their home.
Dominic refused to answer any questions about what occurred in Italy.
Moments later, the couple left their home, driving off together to an unknown destination.
Earlier in the day, Dominic had looked downcast as he drove away from the property in Chippenham in his silver Volvo, with one of their children sitting in the back of the car.
MailOnline understands the actor flew back from Rome on Monday night for crisis talks with his wife of 10 years, just hours after she told a friend she was ‘heartbroken, shocked and devastated’ after seeing pictures of Dominic locked in an embrace with Lily, 31, while not wearing his wedding ring.
Dominic’s face had been largely concealed by his face mask as he drove and he had kept his ring finger from view, after brazenly removing it for his very amorous display with Lily.
Dominic has been married to Irish landscape designer and mother-of-four Catherine since 2010.
On Monday, she confided in a friend that she and Dominic were still ‘very much together’ at the time of his steamy clinch with Lily, and she had said she considered the marriage to be ‘probably over’.Advertisement
A female friend who came to console Catherine told MailOnline that she has was ‘devastated’ over the pictures because she thought she and Dominic had a ‘good marriage’.
And while Catherine looked visibly upset when she left her home, the loyal lady soon fixed on a smile as she faced reporters.
As yet, there has been no sighting of Lily and she is yet to issue any sort of statement on the matter.
She and Dominic share the same manager, who was also with them on the trip.
The actor and the Mamma Mia! star Lily caused quite the stir with their passionate – and very public – display and didn’t seem to mind who saw them as they cuddled up while taking in the sights of the Italian city.
A friend told MailOnline on Monday: ‘Catherine has seen the pictures and she’s devastated. I came over to speak with her as soon as I knew about them.
‘Catherine has been trying to speak with Dominic but he’s not answering his phone. She’s totally shocked because she didn’t know anything was going on. They were very much together, so this is completely out of the blue.
‘She thought they had a good marriage and now it’s probably over. That’s how she feels right now but the two of them need to speak but at the moment, she’s lost for words.’
A gardener who lives on the grounds of the stunning property said: ‘This is their family home and as you can see it’s a wonderful place. They’ve got great kids and everything that you can imagine.
‘Catherine was devastated when she saw those pics and they also left us feeling quite numb. It’s a total shock to all of us who know them.’
Neighbours in the picturesque postcard village where Catherine lives with Dominic and their children – daughter Dora, 13, son Senan, 12, son Francis, 11, and daughter Christabel, seven, have also been rallying around her.
The actor also has another daughter Martha, 22, with former girlfriend Polly Astor.
One said: ‘To say she’s in shock would be an understatement. She’s heartbroken and has got nothing to publicly say. She needs to be left alone and have some time to herself.’
