Michelle Dockery, star of Downton Abbey, has asserted that she is ‘not posh’ in real life.
The 43-year-old actress, who has portrayed Lady Mary Crawley in the period drama for over a decade, made this statement just days before the general release of the film that concludes the entire franchise, emphasizing that she bears no resemblance to her high-class character.
Before achieving mainstream success with her iconic role, Michelle had an extensive career in theater and appeared in minor roles on UK TV shows like Dalziel and Pascoe and Heartbeat.
Prior to these experiences, she graduated from the esteemed Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
However, her very first job was far removed from her ‘posh’ on-screen persona – she worked as a waitress in a fish and chip shop.
The TV star was raised in Romford, East London, by a care assistant mother and a lorry driver father. In her youth, she had a ‘very strong’ Essex accent.
She doesn’t believe she would have secured her role as Lady Mary, the eldest daughter of Robert, the Earl of Grantham, and Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham, if she had auditioned for it.
She confessed: “I had a very strong Essex accent when I was younger, and I don’t think I would have got the role of Lady Mary if I’d walked into the audition going, ‘Allo, nice ter meet yer’.”
Just recently, the actress unveiled her pregnancy news at a red carpet event in Leicester Square. Dressed in a pale blue strapless gown that showcased her baby bump, she looked radiant.
Adding a matching mesh cape and silver jewelry accents, including a sparkling band across her chest, she was the picture of elegance.
Michelle is expecting her first child with her husband, Jasper Waller-Bridge, brother of Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Michelle and Jasper exchanged vows in a beautiful London ceremony in September 2023. For her walk down the aisle, Michelle chose a chic, simple satin gown, while Jasper donned a traditional three-piece navy blue suit.
Famous faces in attendance included Mamma Mia star Lily James and Michelle’s Downton Abbey colleague Joanne Froggatt.
Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Lesley Manville, and Lesley Nicol were also seen celebrating as the joyful pair exchanged vows.
Her nuptials took place seven years after the devastating loss of her fiancé, Irish publicist John Dineen. John tragically passed away in 2015, 15 months after initially being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at age 34.
Michelle and John got engaged in 2013 but, heartbreakingly, never walked down the aisle together. During a candid interview in 2017, two years after John’s passing, Michelle revealed how she viewed herself as a widow despite never officially marrying John.
“We were engaged, and married at heart,” Michelle told the Guardian, “so [yes,] I do consider myself a widow.”
Michelle successfully discovered love once more in 2019, encountering her current husband, Jasper, through shared acquaintances after spending time together at the Rome film festival.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
