John Dineen, the Cork-born fiance of Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery, has died following an illness. He was aged just 34.
Michelle, who played Lady Mary Crawley on the show, first started dating Mr Dineen in 2013 after being introduced to him by fellow Downton Abbey actor, Allen Leech – who is best known for his role as chauffeur Tom Branson.
Speaking about the introduction, Leech later said in an interview, “John’s like family to me and I knew he’d really get on with Michelle.”
Not much was known about their relationship as the couple preferred to steer clear of the spotlight however it was reported in February of this year that they were engaged.
Mr Dineen, who was raised on a farm in Waterfall, Cork and studied at UCC, was a Senior Director in FTI Consulting in London
He passed away at the Marymount Hospital in Cork on Sunday morning.