Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville confirms new romance as he kisses influencer Heidi Kadlecova

Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville has confirmed his romance with Heidi Kadlecova. The actor, who announced his split from wife, Lulu Williams in 2023, was spotted kissing the vegan influencer during a night out in London. HELLO! has reached out for comment.

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Hugh, 60, was in good spirits as he joined Heidi on Friday evening. In photos obtained by MailOnline , the TV star could be seen wrapping his arm around the mum-of-one. Facing the autumn chill in beige coats and blue jeans, Hugh and Heidi were well-coordinated in similar outfits.

Their date night comes just over a year after Hugh and his wife Lulu confirmed their decision to split. The former couple, who wed in 1998, had first met when they were teenagers but reconnected later in life and got together in their 30s, thanks to Hugh's mother Patricia.

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The actor previously said: "Lulu was running a marquee company... my mother rang her to hire some chairs or something and said, ''Do you remember Hugh?' It did infuriate me that I had to give full credit to my mum for reintroducing us."

During their 25-year marriage, Hugh and Lulu had resided in West Sussex with their son, Felix, who prefers to keep out of the spotlight.

In a statement released to The Sun, a representative said: "I can confirm that Hugh Bonneville and Lulu Williams have separated."

Following their breakup, Hugh was rumoured to be dating Canadian actress Claire Rankin, known for her roles in the films, Molly's Game and Seven in Heaven , as well as the TV Show, Ally McBeal .

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In March, the pair seemingly confirmed their romance when they were photographed linking arms while on a date in London. At the time, Hugh and Claire refrained from addressing reports. They have not been pictured together since.

With a jam-packed filming schedule that includes the shoot for Downton Abbey 3 , Hugh has been busier than ever in recent months. It is unclear when he first met Heidi, however, they were initially linked in July after she accompanied him to the London premiere of Twisters . Hugh and Heidi had made the trip to support his Downton Abbey co-star, Harry Hadden-Paton, who appears in the film.

According to several outlets, Heidi, a vegan campaigner and influencer, has previously worked for non-governmental organisations in Uganda, Indonesia and Nepal. She currently has over 1k followers on Instagram, including Hugh.

Little is known about Heidi, although she has posted about her daughter, Gabrielle, on X (formerly Twitter).