- Bonneville, 59, and Lulu, 55, were last seen together in public at the theater in April.
- The actor attended Michelle Dockery’s wedding last week without his wedding ring
Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville has split from his wife Lulu Williams after 25 years of marriage, with insiders claiming the split has left Lulu desperate.
A source told The Sun: “Lulu clearly feels as though 20 years of marriage are worthless.”
It comes just days after Bonneville, 59, attended the wedding of Downton Abbey co-star Michelle Dockery, Don Lulu, 55.
A Bonneville spokesman confirmed the couple had split after living together for 25 years at their home in West Sussex.
Bonneville and Lulu were last seen together in public at the Old Vic Theater in London for a gala in April.
Lulu often accompanied her husband to premieres and film sets, and her recent absence sparked rumors that the couple was having problems.
The actor, best known for his role as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, has never been shy about expressing his love for Lulu, having previously described her as a “cornerstone” and “anchor” and crediting his wife with being the backbone of their family.
Bonneville was spotted grinning at Dockery’s lavish wedding to Jasper Waller-Bridge – brother of Fleabag creator Phoebe – without his wedding ring just last week.
A spokesperson for Hugh told The Sun: “Hugh has been away from home filming a lot this year. He’s lost a bit of weight this summer, looking stylish, tanned and relaxed.
This heartbreak comes just five years after the couple renewed their vows at Graceland Church in Las Vegas.
The pair met in their teens but reconnected later in life and got together in their 30s, thanks in large part to Hugh’s mother Patricia.
“Lulu ran a big company… My mother called her to rent some chairs or something and said, ‘Do you remember Hugh?'” Hugh said.
“It angered me that I had to give full credit to my mother for reintroducing us.”
Bonneville and Lulu later married in November 1998.
Lulu regularly joined her husband while on set, including in 2013 while filming The Monuments Men with George Clooney.
Bonneville also admitted in 2009 that his wife helped him lose weight after she said he was “fat like a pig.”
During an appearance as a castaway on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, he chose Mama Cass’s 1968 hit “Dream a Little Dream” as a tribute to Lulu.
The couple enjoyed entertaining their friends on weekends and walking their two Tibetan terriers, Teddy and Sasha.
During the pandemic, both Lulu and her husband – whom she nicknamed “Lovie” – have been volunteer guards at a local NHS vaccine centre.
In previous interviews, Bonneville has claimed he is “totally indebted” to his wife for the way she has supported him throughout his career while raising their son Felix, 20, who is himself a success on screen.
“Lulu’s priority was to be a cornerstone for me and Felix, and I am completely indebted to her,” he said.
Bonneville has played Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham in the BBC period drama since its launch in 2010 – a role for which he won a Golden Globe – and revealed that the royal family are among the famous series’ many fans.
He was later appointed Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex by the Royal Family in 2019.
His first major film role was in Frankenstein as the right leg of Robert De Niro’s monster character.
More recently, he starred in two Paddington films, and was signed on to appear in the third, which has gone into production.
Next Sunday, he is scheduled to perform at the Battle of Britain Royal Concert at the Royal Air Forces Club in London.
He said of the appointment: “It’s nice because it’s in my county where I live and I do a lot of things like visiting schools and reading a lot of Paddington.” It’s really the same thing, just with a badge. I am very honored.
He was seen wearing his gold ring while attending the King’s coronation ceremony on May 7 – again without Lulu.
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