Dominic West’s mother-in-law today paid tribute to the ‘darling’ actor – as friends revealed they are confident his marriage will survive the Lily James scandal.
Olda Fitzgerald posted a gushing comment on the photo of her son-in-law with Catherine Fitzgerald, saying: ‘My eldest daughter and my darling son-in-law who both work so hard to keep me in clover! How lucky am I? Hooray darlings congrats on sweet photo.’
The picture, posted by Glin Castle, shows the pair standing in an elegant room with West, dressed in a red flannel shirt and gilet, smiling at Catherine, dressed in a pretty floral blouse, as she too smiles while looking into the distance.
Catherine, 49, was humiliated last month when her 51-year-old husband was pictured kissing and cuddling young actress Lily, 31, without his wedding ring, during a romantic break in Rome, not caring who saw.
In the days afterwards, mother-of-four Catherine agreed to take part in a bizarre show of unity with the star outside their Cotswolds home, with him telling reporters: ‘Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together’.
Despite her stiff upper lip, she came under pressure from friends to end her ten-year marriage to the man with whom she has four young children, with some saying she had grown tired of being an actor’s wife ‘and everything that entails’.
Now sources close to the couple say they are determined to save their marriage and are ‘working through their problems’, confident that their relationship will survive.
The picture, posted by Glin Castle, shows the pair standing in an elegant room with West, dressed in a red flannel shirt and gilet, smiling at Catherine, dressed in a pretty floral blouse, as she too smiles while looking into the distance
Catherine, 49, was humiliated last month when her 51-year-old husband was pictured kissing and cuddling young actress Lily James. The pair put on a united front outside their house (pictured left) days after the photographs were published. Olda Fitzgerald (pictured right with husband Desmond) posted a photo of her son-in-law with Catherine Fitzgerald with a gushing caption on Instagram
The gushing caption said: ‘My eldest daughter and my darling son-in-law who both work so hard to keep me in clover! How lucky am I? Hooray darlings congrats on sweet photo.’
West and the Mama Mia 2 star, 31, were seen riding a scoot together, while West was seen without his wedding ring, during a the break in Rome
Dominic West, Lily James and Laura Carmichael attend the Harper’s Bazaar Women Of The Year Awards in 2018
A close friend of Catherine’s revealed: ‘Yes, Catherine was devastated and humiliated by the pictures of Dom with Lilly. And it’s well documented and clear what his views on infidelity are.
‘It may surprise a lot of people but that doesn’t mean their marriage is close to ending. They have had some difficult discussions but are still very much together. They’ve got a lovely family and she wants to do everything she can to keep it together.’
The couple brushed off rumours of marriage troubles on Tuesday as they were seen together for the first time in weeks and went for a jog in the idyllic Wiltshire village in which they live.
Neighbours revealed landscape gardener Catherine returned to the couple’s home last week after being holed up at her ancestral home of Glin Castle in County Limerick, Ireland, contemplating the future of her marriage.
Another friend said: ‘Even if she wanted to, it’s not that easy for Catherine to walk away from the marriage because she’s locked into it in many ways.
‘They’ve got four young children and Dominic is also the main breadwinner. And there’s also the considerable financial investment in Glin Castle to consider.’
Catherine and West took over the running of the castle two years ago and transformed it into an exclusive boutique getaway for A-listers.
Friends maintain that she is determined to make a success of it as a business with West believed to have provided the bulk of the funding.
Neighbours revealed landscape gardener Catherine returned to the couple’s home last week after being holed up at her ancestral home of Glin Castle (pictured) in County Limerick, Ireland, contemplating the future of her marriage
Catherine and West (pictured) took over the running of the castle two years ago and transformed it into an exclusive boutique getaway for A-listers
A friend also told MailOnline that she had spoken with Catherine since her return from Ireland, and she confided that she also wanted her marriage to survive because she does not want to go through a second divorce.
Catherine married Edward Lambton in 1995, becoming Viscountess Lambton for a time, until their divorce in 2002.
The friend added: ‘The divorce left some deep emotional scars on Catherine and she doesn’t want to go through another painful break up. The experience left her feeling very crushed and it took a long time for her to get over it.
‘She wants to avoid another divorce at all costs.’
With rumours circulating over the past few days that West and Catherine’s 10-year marriage was close to an end, one friend said: ‘They both find all the speculation quite entertaining because it’s so far from the truth.
‘They’ve had a lot of problems recently but they’re still strong and together.’
West and Catherine married in June 2010 after reuniting following their university romance and have four children together; Dora, 13, Senan, 12, Francis, 11, and Christabel, seven, together.
West also has another daughter Martha, 21, with former girlfriend, aristocrat, Polly Astor.