Dominic West has become a viral meme after he kissed his wife of 10 years Catherine Fitzgerald outside their Wiltshire cottage, less than 24 hours after he was caught in a passionate clinch with Lily James, 31, in Rome.
The actor and his wife’s response stunned fans when they decided not shy away from cameras, but put on a united display, while showing off a handwritten note which read ‘our marriage is strong and we’re very much together’.
The whole saga led to a host of social media users mocking the actor, 50, with some comparing the cottage scenes to Little Britain and his roles in Chicago, The Wire and The Affair.
Gold: Dominic West has become a viral meme after he kissed his wife of 10 years Catherine Fitzgerald outside their Wiltshire cottage, less than 24 hours after he was caught in a passionate clinch with Lily James, 31, in Rome
One hilarious meme was in reference to Brits being able to order alcohol at Tier Three pubs if they have a ‘substantial meal’.
Sharing a picture of Dominic looking smug as he posed with Catherine, 49, on Tuesday, one follower wrote: ‘when you order a pasty and chips for the table to carry on boozing’.
Little Britain also provided a haven of inspiration for Tweets about Dominic’s marriage drama.
PDA: The 300 actor and the Mamma Mia! star 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
Mocking star: The whole saga led to a host of social media users mocking the actor, 50, with some comparing the cottage scenes to Little Britain and his roles in Chicago, The Wire and The Affair
‘Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together’: Defiant Dominic and his wife kissed and put on a united front on Tuesday after his passionate clinch with Lily James – but his wedding ring was still OFF
Bizarre: West handed out a piece of paper, (written by him) to reporters asserting that he and Catherine would not be splitting – it was signed by them both
Many posted photos of David Walliams’ and Matt Lucas’ character standing outside a country home alongside captions like; ‘Dominic West addressing the press with his wife and snogging her outside his home’, with David’s character saying: ‘My clothes accidentally fell off’.
Another shared a snap shot of Catherine Zeta Jones as Velma in Chicago alongside the words: ‘And then he ran into my knife *10* times’.
West played Fred Casely in the 2002 film. Fred was an adultering furniture salesman who cheated on his wife with Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger).
Meanwhile, his most notable television role as Jimmy McNulty in The Wire was also drawn upon when creating memes.
In relation, to the character’s unstable relationships, one wrote: ‘Dominic has gone full Jimmy McNultry on his Mrs there’.
Other memes include Nicole Richie saying: ‘Just because I’m married doesn’t mean I can’t date’, Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne ‘I hope Dominic’s West’s wife is biding her time until she can have her Amy Dunne moment’, and ‘Dominic West was giving some real 12th Duke of Wybourne vibes in those photos and tbh I’m happy for the Covid news respite.’
Comedy: Many posted photos of David Walliams’ and Matt Lucas’ character standing outside a country home alongside captions like; ‘Dominic West addressing the press with his wife and snogging her outside his home’
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, while not wearing his wedding ring.
The 300 actor and the Mamma Mia! star 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.
Working together: Lily and Dominic are set to star in Emily Mortimer’s adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s celebrated novel The Pursuit Of Love for the BBC featuring Emily Beecham & Andrew Scott – filming began in July
Cosy: The actor and the Mamma Mia! star didn’t seem to mind who saw them as they cuddled up to one another and shared a ride on an electric scooter while taking in the sights, tenderly touching throughout the day
Before and after: Dominic with his wedding ring on (left) and without it in Rome (right)
‘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 added: ‘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.
Hilarious: Other memes include Nicole Richie saying: ‘Just because I’m married doesn’t mean I can’t date’, Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne ‘I hope Dominic’s West’s wife is biding her time until she can have her Amy Dunne moment’
‘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.
On Thursday, it was announced that Lily had split from The Crown star Matt Smith, 37, for good after a failed attempt to rekindle their relationship in lockdown following an on-off five year romance.
MailOnline contacted Dominic and Lily’s representatives for comment at the time of publication.
A bizarre display: The couple stood outside their home in Wiltshire shortly after 10.30am – West put his arm around his wife of ten years for some staged smiling photos