Just days after being snapped canoodling in Rome with the lissom Lily James last autumn, Dominic West put on a very public display of marital harmony, parading with his wife Catherine outside their home.
But the swashbuckling Old Etonian actor is not a man to be pinned down for long.
He has, I can disclose, taken himself off from Wiltshire to the idyllic island of Lamu, off the coast of Kenya, for no fewer than five weeks — and even his agent in the UK is unsure if he’s taken Catherine and their four children, aged from seven to 15, with him.
He also has a 23-year-old daughter with Polly Astor.
Just days after being snapped canoodling in Rome with the lissom Lily James last autumn (left), Dominic West put on a very public display of marital harmony, parading with his wife Catherine outside their home (right)
‘I don’t know if they have [accompanied him],’ she tells me. ‘He told me he was going to be away for five weeks and would let me know when he was back.’
Lest uncharitable souls leap to the conclusion that West, 51, who starred in The Affair, is gallivanting around the island — a favourite with celebrity adventurers such as Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell — his agent emphasises that it is not a holiday.
‘He said he was going because of Save Lamu. He’s one of its patrons, so he was invited there. He organised it all himself.’
Save Lamu is a worthwhile organisation whose aims include preserving ‘the cultural and social identity of the marginalised indigenous communities’ on the island, as well as ‘raising awareness’ of the ‘environmental, social and political challenges’ facing its people.
Dominic West has taken himself off from Wiltshire to the idyllic island of Lamu (pictured), off the coast of Kenya, for no fewer than five weeks — and even his agent in the UK is unsure if he’s taken Catherine and their four children, aged from seven to 15, with him
But Save Lamu appears so far to have missed the chance to ‘raise awareness’ of West’s support for the cause.
He is entirely unmentioned on its website, which instead displays the names and photos of its seven-man, one-woman board, as well as those of the five members of its staff — all women.
Today, the temperature on the island is forecast to rise to a punishing 90f (32c).
But West can be assured that he can toil in peace: the island has been extolled as ‘a place where the A-list can be ensconced away from the paparazzi’s prying eyes — and the main method of transport is a water taxi called Beyonce’.
Dame Mary Berry has revealed her recipe for keeping her marriage simmering after nearly 55 years: regular ‘date nights’ with her husband, Paul.
‘Saturday night I always cook something special,’ the former Bake Off judge says on her new BBC1 series, Celebrity Best Home Cook, which starts next week.
‘If I have been in jeans all day, I will change them and, I suppose, be romantic. I would do a chocolate roulade and have cream with it and then would put a bit of liqueur on it, as it’s a date night.’
Olympia’s fun and games with puppy
Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece has a soft spot for dogs and has recently acquired a puppy named Echo (pictured)
Prince Charles shares more than just a familial bond with his goddaughter, Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece.
Just like HRH, who owns two Jack Russells, the 24-year-old has a soft spot for dogs and has recently acquired a puppy named Echo.
Olympia, the only daughter of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, shared a picture of herself with the dachshund, whom she calls ‘my little squidge’.
As a sign of increasing commitment, her boyfriend Peregrine Pearson — son and heir of the 4th Viscount Cowdray — has been helping Olympia look after the pooch.
Marks & Spencer model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s brother, Toby, who is a personal fitness instructor and menswear model, admits he will never challenge her fiance, Fast & Furious action hero Jason Statham, to an arm wrestle.
‘Only because I wouldn’t want to embarrass him,’ he explains modestly.
No appy ending for Daisy’s online dating
Former Strictly star Daisy Lowe, whose exes include actor Matt Smith and DJ Mark Ronson, is now in a relationship with property developer Jordan Saul
Former Strictly star Daisy Lowe has fallen out of love with dating apps. ‘I went on to a dating app for all of 24 hours.
I found it so annoying to talk to people that I didn’t know or wasn’t interested in, that I deleted it,’ says the 31-year-old daughter of designer Pearl Lowe.
‘I spoke to a sexy fireman and he was really sweet, but I had to delete it. I hate small chat at the best of times.’
The lingerie model, whose exes include actor Matt Smith and DJ Mark Ronson, is now in a relationship with property developer Jordan Saul.
She adds: ‘On a dating app, you can’t hear someone — you don’t know what their voice sounds like. And you don’t know what they smell like.
‘People that I thought I was really into, you smell them, and you’re like: “This can’t work! My pheromones just don’t like you!” ’
Move over Marcus Rashford. Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has made a £2,000 donation to The Felix Project, which feeds hungry children in London.
‘Keep up all the great work for The Felix Project and thanks for all of your support,’ says Lampard in a missive to the charity on its JustGiving page.
Lampard previously took part in the charity’s telethon day to raise funds.
A topping pizza feast for Poppy
Poppy Delevingne, 34, shares a picture of herself in a green dress lying next to several pizza takeaway boxes
Someone should tell model Poppy Delevingne that pizzas are for eating, not for posing with.
After hearing about the forthcoming National Pizza Day, the 34-year-old sister of fellow mannequin Cara shared a picture of herself in a green dress lying next to several takeaway boxes of the carb-laden dish.
‘In a past life I’m sure I was Italian,’ she says, claiming her favourite pizza is one with truffles from The River Cafe, West London.
‘I’m a massive foodie who eats everything in moderation.
‘I’m lucky to have a fast metabolism.’
From I’m a Celeb to I’m worth a fortune
More from Sebastian Shakespeare for the Daily Mail…
I’m A Celebrity winner Giovanna Fletcher made almost a quarter of a million pounds last year — and that was before she even entered the show.
I hear the podcaster’s business made £362,005 in the 12 months to the end of last March, but after creditors were paid she was left with £247,708.
The earnings for Giovanna Fletcher Ltd are likely to come from book sales and endorsements via her podcasts and her Instagram account, where she now has 2 million followers.
But they are just the tip of the iceberg for the rising star, who has been tipped to become a mainstream TV presenter.
Insiders say Giovanna, 35, who is married to McFly singer Tom Fletcher, is in the frame for jobs that could see her earnings rocket to £4 million over the coming years.
How would you like to organise the schedules for Charles and Camilla when they are able to go out and about again?
Clarence House is advertising for an assistant diary manager.
The advert on the royal website, which doesn’t give a salary, says potential candidates must ‘work calmly, efficiently and quickly when under pressure’ and warns that ‘the ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion at all times is paramount’.