Jesse Lally and woman Michelle Lally previously divorced The valley premiered on Bravo – but the hints were there throughout the first season of the Vanderpump Rules spinoff.

The couple’s introduction to the show immediately set the tone for their ups and downs as they bickered about laundry on screen. During the premiere episode – and beyond – Jesse and Michelle were surprisingly open about their problems.

Before you become a member The valley, Jesse and Michelle got engaged in November 2017 after several years of dating. They tied the knot a year later at California’s Beaulieu Garden and then expanded their family with the arrival of daughter Isabella in 2020.

The pair formed a friendship with Vanderpump Rules alum Jax Taylor And Brittany Cartwrightand so they ended up as cast members of the spin-off.

“There’s a major storyline about our lives where I spend the entire summer trying to work on myself to be the best version of myself,” Jesse shared exclusively We weekly in March 2024, days before The valley premiered. “And if the best version of myself matched the best version of herself, our marriage would survive. People evolve. If your marriage and relationship don’t evolve, it will never work, no matter how much you want it to.”

Michelle, meanwhile, noted that there have been a lot of changes since they filmed the series.

“People said, ‘When you watch the show you realize what you guys are really like,’ because when you’re in it you don’t really know,” she said in a separate interview with Us at the time. “When I step back and look at myself, I think, ‘Oh wow. It’s clear we’re having marital problems.”

She continued: “I want fans to know how real we were. We are very authentic. We haven’t faked anything and we’ve said that if we’re going to do reality TV, we’re really going to open up our lives – the positive and the negative.”

After the duo noticeably didn’t walk the red carpet together The valley premiere party, Us confirmed that Jesse and Michelle split after almost six years of marriage.

Keep scrolling to see the signs The valley that pointed to Jesse and Michelle’s decision — and check back weekly for more moments that stood out before their divorce:

The valley airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9pm ET and will be available to stream on Peacock the following day.

Awkward introduction

During their first confessional together, Michelle was asked what words she would use to describe Jesse.

“I’ll have to think about that,” she said before Jesse suggested “loving” and “sexy” as options. Michelle paused after the first word and laughed off her husband’s second suggestion.

The tension did not diminish when Michelle and Jesse talked about their daughter. “She loves her dad so much,” Michelle noted, while Jesse added, “She loves me more.”

Michelle also shared that Jesse didn’t seem to favor her, saying, “I don’t think he’s ever had a picture of me on his phone as a screensaver.” The dog and the baby [are his choices].”

In response, Jesse told his side of the story. “We work together, I have to watch you all day,” he noted. “Why do I have to open my phone and have a picture of you on it?”

Not on the same page

In the first images of Michelle and Jesse at their home, the pair did not appear to have the same views. Jesse randomly popped open a bottle of champagne during the day, which Michelle wasn’t happy about.

“No, we’re not on vacation,” she said after Jesse offered her a glass. “So what are you going to do? Drink champagne all day?

After Jesse replied that he would drink “a little,” Michelle looked at him doubtfully.

The transition to parenthood

Michelle and Jesse both acknowledged how having their daughter changed their dynamic. While talking to Brittany and Nia BookoMichelle recalled that Jesse didn’t contribute much when she welcomed their first child.

“Jesse never woke up. “I slept separately with Isabella for a year,” she said. “It takes someone one of a kind to handle him.”

Later in the premiere, Jesse confirmed that he wasn’t as present when they became parents.

“It is difficult to determine exactly what we fought about. It’s little things,” he said in a solo confessional. “We moved from the fun honeymoon phase when the baby came because she was evolving as a mother and I wasn’t quite evolving as a father. That is exactly where we are now.”

Discussing the idea of ​​separation

During the March 2024 premiere, Michelle discussed what she regretted not doing after she started dating Jesse.

“I always tell people, I’ve been working with Jesse for eight years and it’s funny because we didn’t even ask basic questions [about marriage and kids,” she told Kristen Doute. “From my experience, you want to have those talks.”

Meanwhile, Jesse spoke with Jax about the problems in his marriage.

“I don’t think Michelle has been super happy in the past 24 hours. It has not been good,” he admitted. “The conversations [about separation] have had. … I do not want that. She brought it up.”

Surprising interactions with other women

While at a party with the rest of the cast, Kristen and Jesse jokingly bickered back and forth. Kristen started twisting his nipple, which Jesse tried to return to her.

“Are you kidding me? I’m so close to Jesse’s wife, Michelle, but I’m not nearly as close as Jesse Lally is anywhere near my boobs,” she told the cameras. “I just put up with Jesse because he’s Michelle’s husband, that’s what you have to do sometimes.’

Jesse also shocked Michelle when he joked about it Lala Kentsaying, ‘I will let my wife choose, and I will let my mistress choose [Lala] choose too. Sorry, I want to be more cultured – my side piece.”

For years he was defined by his long curly locks, menacing look and leather trench coat.

Yet WWE legend The Undertaker was unrecognizable from his boxing heyday when he appeared on a Patreon Q&A for his Six feet under show.

The retired wrestler, 58, swapped the inside of a new coffin for a recording studio as he joined his wife Michelle McCool for the podcast gig.

With his long locks shaved off and his signature eyeliner missing, The Undertaker, real name Mark Callaway, revealed how his legendary status impacted the career of two-time WWE Divas Champion Michelle.

He explained: ‘She has had a lot of sadness, obviously with a relationship with the best man.’

McCool added, “Not only do his fans legitimately hate me because they think they’re married to him or something, sometimes it seems like death threats. In that respect I understand it.

“And of course, anything I did or said, and not the kind of work I put in, because I had a relationship with The Undertaker, even from colleagues, it weighed on me a lot.”

Callaway explained, “I saw the frustration, I saw the work she put into it. I never helped the girls because most of them were just there for stairs to go somewhere else.

“Her work ethic and what she put into it was different. It clearly wasn’t fair. You know what you’re getting into when you cross that line, but it wasn’t fair because she worked her butt off.”

The couple started dating in the late 1990s and married in 2010.

They welcomed their first child, daughter Kaia, in 2012 and subsequently adopted their son Kolt.

Callaway also has three children from his first two wives.

Elsewhere in the chat, Callaway revealed that he had recently talked himself into making a comeback in WWE.

Callaway hasn’t wrestled in WWE since 2020, and his last match was that year’s WrestleMania against AJ Styles in a cinematic boneyard match.

He has appeared sporadically in the promotion since he last appeared on NXT late last year, where he confronted Bron Breakker, and is regularly in the performance center to pass on his wisdom to current stars.

But he revealed he still misses wrestling, despite his body not matching his mind, and a return never seems completely out of the question.

“It’s still hard for me,” he said. ‘I’m still working on it. And I may or may not have recently told my wife that I was going to make a comeback. Luckily, I think I talked myself out of that.

‘No, there is no more competition. It was like I just came back from Australia, I was tired and I knew there were a lot of things coming. And that was the feeling that I felt comfortable saying.

‘Don’t expect it. There is no more competition. Don’t even start.’

A number of current WWE stars have asked The Undertaker, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, to come out of retirement for a match, although that doesn’t appear to be on the agenda for now.

That doesn’t mean the love for the game has gone away, however, and the 58-year-old explained how he was forced to come to grips with retirement.

“I knew my time had come, but I wasn’t ready,” he said. “I just knew my body couldn’t deliver what my mind and heart wanted to give to the fans. So it was quite difficult.

‘You have to remember that I have been in the ring for more than half my life. And then it’s gone. And it does, it leaves a huge void inside you. Because you’re trying to fill that void, which was a passion, and you’re trying to figure out what that next passion is and what you’re going to sink your teeth into.

“Maybe there isn’t anything that will ever fill that void.”

Michelle Yeoh had the sweetest reason to die by Emma Stone Oscar on to Jennifer Lawrence at the 96th Academy Awards.

Yeoh, 61, with Lawrence, 33, Sally Field, Charlize Theron And Jessica Lange they all took to the stage to present the Best Actress award during the ceremony on Sunday, March 10. After naming Stone, 35, as the winner, Yeoh confused viewers when he quickly handed the trophy to Lawrence, who then passed it to Stone.

“I wanted to share that glorious moment of handing Oscar over to you, along with your best friend Jennifer!!” Yeoh explained via Instagram on Monday, March 11, in addition to a slideshow of photos from the evening. “She reminded me of my Bae Jamie Lee Curtis .” (Yeoh and Curtis both starred Everything everywhere at oncetaking home the Oscars for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively in 2023.)

Yeoh then praised Stone and Lawrence for their years of friendship, writing that the two women are “always there for each other!! .” She concluded the message: “Congratulations Emma!!’

All of the women who took to the stage to present with Yeoh previously received the Best Actress award, with Lawrence winning in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook. Field won twice for Norma Rae And Places in the heart in 1979 and 1984 respectively, while Lange took the statue home in 1995 for Blue sky. Theron received the award in 2004 for her role in Sample.

Stone, meanwhile, was defeated Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon, Annette Bening in NYAD, Carey Mulligan in Master And Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a fall. She earned the honor for her role as Bella Baxter Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor thingswinning the award for the second time after receiving it for the first time in 2017 La La Land. (Stone’s other previous nominations include Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Birdman in 2015 and The favorite in 2019. She was also nominated for Best Picture this year for her work as a producer Poor things.)

Stone opened her acceptance speech by thanking her fellow Best Actress nominees. “This is really overwhelming. My voice is also a bit gone. Whatever. The women in this category, you are all incredible. Sandra, Annette, Carey, Lily, I’m sharing this with you,” she said as she looked at Gladstone, who was also a frontrunner for the evening. “I am deeply honored to share this with every cast member, everyone who put their love into making this film. Thank you for the gift of a lifetime in Bella Baxter.”

Stone also took a moment to thank her family, including husband Dave McCary and daughter Louise Jean – for being her support system over the years.

“My mom, my brother Spencer, my dad, my husband, I love you so much,” she said through tears. “And most importantly: my daughter, who will be three in three days and has given our lives a technical color. I love you bigger than the whole sky, my girl.

Al Pacino can’t say hello to Michelle Pfeiffer at the 2024 Oscars.

Although Pfeiffer, 65, and Pacino, 83, were both set to host the ceremony on Sunday, March 10, Pacino ultimately took the stage solo to present Best Picture to Oppenheimer for the last prize of the evening. According to DeadlineIt was “personal family reasons” that reportedly prevented Pfeiffer from traveling across the country in time for the annual ceremony, which is held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Pacino, meanwhile, was greeted with a standing ovation when he took the stage as his own Godfather Co-star Robert de Niro cheered him from the audience.

Last month it was announced that Pfeiffer and Pacino would be attending this year’s Academy Awards. Coincidentally, the presentation appearance came just a few months after the Scarface 40 year reunion. The duo starred as Tony Montana and Elvira Hancock in the crime drama, which premiered in December 1983.Scarface was a remake of the 1932 film of the same name.)

The duo starred as Tony Montana and Elvira Hancock in the crime drama, which premiered in December 1983.Scarface was a remake of the 1932 film of the same name.)

Scarface was both Pfeiffer’s big break in Hollywood and the start of her long friendship with Pacino. However, the actors did not get off to a good start.

“He didn’t really want me for the role,” Pfeiffer admitted during a 2017 appearance The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, referring to Pacino. “My last credit for that was Fat 2. Can you blame him for that?”

During the ‘very long and lengthy audition process’, Pfeiffer was able to show off her acting skills.

“I was terrified, and I was very young, and I knew he didn’t want me, and as it went on, it got worse because I got so scared,” Pfeiffer recalled, noting that the film’s legendary director, Brian de Palma, was “rooting” for her to get the role. But her nerves got the better of her and in the end it all didn’t work out… at first.

A month later, Pfeiffer received a call for a screen test. Feeling like she had “no chance” of booking the role, the actress was no longer “scared.”

“We do the restaurant scene at the end, where I panic a little bit at the end. I was throwing plates, and everything was flying around, and I was breaking things, I was in it,” she recalls of the audition. “There was blood everywhere. Everyone comes running to me, checks me for blood, where am I cut, they find nothing, there are no cuts on me. “I look over and Al is bleeding.”

She added, “I cut Al Pacino!” … And that’s how I got the part.”

Almost ten years after they worked together Scarface the duo reunited on screen in 1991 Frankie and Johnny where they played love interests again.

Whether it’s fighting vampires or putting together a chic outfit, Buffy Summers always slays, but alas, the star Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn’t keep all those iconic looks from the 90s and 00s.

“I have a few clothes, but at the time we weren’t allowed to keep the wardrobe,” Gellar, 46, said exclusively We weekly while promoting her partnership with UScellular for the Global Day of Unplugging.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer debuted on March 10, 1997 as a midseason replacement TV show on The WB, and 27 years later it’s still a cult hit. The fantasy show aired for seven seasons and spawned the spin-off Angel and continues to inspire new works (such as Audible’s Murdererswhich reunited several cast members last fall). BuffyBuffy’s success was initially a surprise, but now that her 14-year-old daughter Charlotte is embracing the same trends Buffy once donned, Gellar is doubling down.

“Isn’t that strange?” said the actress. “Then my daughter came back and she said, ‘Do you have any chokers?’ I thought, ‘What?’ Or she comes out with the white T-shirt with the dress over it.”

Still, Charlotte won’t find many Buffy garments in her mother’s closet. “I think growing up in New York City, I grew up in a small apartment, so we didn’t have space,” Gellar explained. Us. “There was never a raise. I never grew up thinking about holding on to this kind of thing.

Although she and husband Freddie Prins Jr. (with whom she also shares son Rocky, 11), now has more space, the wolf pack alum is still trying not to hold on to too much.

“It’s funny even now, I recently did a spring clean and I saved my purses and stuff for my daughter,” Gellar said. “But I’m like, ‘By the time she gets older, she won’t even want half of my stuff.’ So I’m trying to figure out what to hold on to.”

Despite her urban approach, the star said she would definitely keep a memorable piece in her closet. “Buffy’s dress at the end of the first season was based on a dress and an Emmy dress that I wore, and I have that,” she said.

The dress, which she wore when she received her Daytime Emmy Award in 1995 for her role in All my children, even still fits. In 2020, the actress took the plunge with a photo of herself wearing the dress.

‘All dressed up and not going anywhere. “I say we party,” she captioned the photo, quoting her character from the season 1 finale.

However, the clothes will be the only thing her children will see later BtVS seasons. “We skipped Season 6 because they were very young,” Gellar said. “It wasn’t appropriate.”

The Cruel intentions star told earlier Us of which she let her daughter and son watch the first episodes Buffy but ultimately decided not to show the dark parts.

Michelle Williams is struggling to mask her disappointment at not being recognized in a new Uber One commercial.

The Australia advertisement, which dropped on Monday, March 4, opens with Williams, 44, holding a cup of coffee as she walks through a park. As she walks to a bench, the former Destiny’s Child member opens her Uber app, which shows how much money she has saved.

“Okay, okay, my Uber One membership savings don’t disappoint,” Williams says out loud as a woman sitting next to her gives her a quick glance. “You know what’s disappointing? I was in one of the most iconic girl groups and no one recognizes me.”

After the confession, a man in the background shouts the name ‘Michelle’. Williams, excited that someone is trying to get her attention, smiles and turns her head before realizing he’s talking about something completely different.

“Michelle! You spit that out!” the man continues as he chases his dog, who is dangling a baguette from his mouth. “Naughty Michelle! Michelle, naughty!”

“Who names their dog Michelle?” Williams wonders aloud as he watches the spectacle as the woman sitting next to her asks, “Sorry, but are you Michelle Williams?”

Relieved to finally be noticed, Williams grins and confirms her identity, only to be disappointed again.

“I dropped your wallet,” the woman replies, handing it over as Williams’ face falls in sheer disappointment.

“At least my Uber One savings don’t disappoint,” Williams says as she scrolls through her phone.

After Destiny’s Child released the 1999 album, The writing is on the wallWilliams and Farrah Franklin joined the group, replacing former members LaTavia Roberson And LaToya Luckett. Months later, Franklin, 42, left, leaving Destiny’s Child with Williams, Beyonce And Kelly Rowland.

Over the years, the group scored nine Grammy nominations and earned two wins for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. While Destiny’s Child broke up in 2006, they have since reunited for several performances.

After Monday’s ad disappeared, Williams called it “hilarious” on social media.

“I get to join in on the jokes. Certain jokes that you guys know I don’t really care for, especially 24 years later. There are just certain things I don’t care about anymore,” she said via Instagram on Monday. “So what a cool way to say, ‘The joke’s not on me, it’s on you.’ You know, I don’t care. So that was so much fun.”

• Michelle Heyman scored four goals for Australia on Wednesday evening
• The 35-year-old veteran was handed a shock recall from the Matildas squad
• Matildas is about to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris

By Ollie Lewis

Published: 04:31 EST, February 28, 2024 | Updated: 06:52 EST, February 28, 2024

His love life has been just as tumultuous as his career, having walked down the aisle no fewer than five times.

And now controversial comedian Jim Davidson has 'started a new chapter' with a girlfriend called Natasha, who is 23 years his junior – after finalizing his divorce from his wife of 14 years, Michelle Cotton, last year.

Jim said he has already sold the Georgian cottage in Stockbridge, Hampshire, that the former couple shared and is ready for a 'new chapter'.

He claimed he is still on good terms with Michelle, whom he married in 2009, and will continue to visit his ex-wife, although he is too sad to see the dogs they once shared.

“Please, the divorce was finalized today, so it's finalized. I'm divorced again, my fifth divorce,” he said in an interview on his streaming platform Ustreme.

'The house has been sold and that will continue in March, fingers crossed. It's a new chapter for all of us.'

He added: “I spoke to Michelle today and wished her the best of luck. I agreed to take some stuff and pick up some bits and pieces.

'She said I was always welcome there. I said I was only going to do it when the dogs weren't there, so I asked that when I call to come over, she take the dogs for a walk, because I don't want to pile more grief on the situation. .'

He said people “don't think about that when you break up,” but that he has a “little stepdog now named Luna,” so he's “having a good time.”

Jim, who presented The Generation Game and Big Break in the 1990s, said he and Natasha “just take it day by day and enjoy it.”

He added, “You never know what's around the corner, especially in this crazy, crazy world.”

The comedian announced his split from Michelle in April last year after 20 years together, and was said to be devastated that they couldn't work things out.

His first marriage was to childhood sweetheart Sue Walpole in 1971 and they had daughter Sarah Walpole-Davidson, now 51, before divorcing a year later.

He married Julie Gullick in 1981, with whom he had a son Cameron (41), and they divorced five years later in 1986.

Just a year later he walked down the aisle with journalist and TV presenter Alison Holloway, but their marriage lasted less than two years.

His fourth marriage in 1990 – to former model Tracy Hilton – lasted ten years. The couple had three children together: Charlie, 34, Fred, 32, and Elsie, 31.

Jim has previously admitted that his costly divorces have cost him around £60 million. He had to declare himself bankrupt in 2006 after failing to make repayments on an unpaid tax bill.

Michelle Dockery zag er moeiteloos chic uit in zwart-wit toen ze vrijdag uitstapte voor een avondje uit in het Londense Chiltern Firehouse.

De Downton Abbey-ster, 42, straalde toen zij en andere sterren een weekend lang hun hoofd lieten hangen bij Brunello Cucinelli terwijl hij een intiem diner organiseerde om de waardering voor de Britse filmindustrie te uiten.

Vergezeld door haar man, Jasper Waller-Bridge, maakte ze een trendy figuur in een zwarte broek met wijde pijpen die om haar enkel plooide nadat de nieuwsopnamen in het geheim waren begonnen voor een nieuwe serie.

De brunette schoonheid – die Lady Mary Crawley speelt – voegde een vleugje kleur toe en combineerde haar unieke kledingstuk met een witte wollen trui met een hoge col.

Ze kleedde zich voor het weer en hulde zich in een lange zwarte satijnen trenchcoat die tot haar knieën reikte.

Ze voegde centimeters toe aan haar statige figuur en maakte haar verbluffende look af met een paar zwarte leren laarzen en een eenvoudige zwarte clutch.

Ze zag er fantastisch uit toen ze ervoor koos om haar look natuurlijk te houden met een look zonder make-up en een golvend kapsel.

Michelle was niet de enige ster die op zoek was naar een avondje uit in de stad om het te vieren, want Tom Hiddleston werd ook gespot tijdens de met sterren bezaaide affaire.

De Loki-ster, 43, zag er keurig uit als altijd in een bruin corduroy pak met een klassieke blazer met dubbele rij knopen.

Tom – die Jonathan Pine speelt – demonstreerde zijn unieke gevoel voor stijl en combineerde zijn hippe pak met een fris wit overhemd en een zilveren stropdas.

Hij hield zijn look stijlvol met een paar bruine brogues en een prachtige witte glimlach.

India Ria Amarteifio, 22, liet de harten sneller kloppen op de blitse avond toen ze haar benen liet zien in een nauwsluitende zwarte kanten jurk.

Ze hield haar outfit elegant terwijl ze openhartig haar oversized zwarte winterjas over haar schouders hing.

De knaller – die Queen Charlotte speelt in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story – maakte haar adembenemende look af met een paar strappy zwarte hakken zonder rug.

Eyal Brooker, 28, verscheen ook op de bijeenkomst. Hij zag er zoals gewoonlijk knap uit met een paar zwarte cowboylaarzen en een grijze hoodie.

De voormalige Love Island-deelnemer hield het casual met een patchwork-jeans en een effen zwart t-shirt.

De Amerikaanse acteur Aaron Eckhart zorgde voor een zeer verfijnde look voor de avond toen hij naar buiten stapte in een lichtblauw gestreept pak.

De Dark Knight-ster, 55, combineerde zijn op maat gemaakte tweedelige kledingstuk met een wit overhemd en een formele marineblauwe stropdas.

Hij was gewapend met lagen toen hij werd gezien met een lange beige trenchcoat toen hij de zaal verliet.

Josh Brolin zag er ook charmant uit in een blauw pak tijdens het met sterren bezaaide evenement.

De Goonies-ster, 56, droeg een glanzend blauw pak gecombineerd met een zwart overhemd en zwarte pakschoenen.

Hij en zijn vrouw, Kathryn Boyd, genoten van een vrijdaguitje voor een date-avond toen ze naar buiten stapte in een paar torenhoge leren platformlaarzen en een Burberry-sjaal.

De Everest-ster, 36, kleedde zich warm aan voor de koude periode in Londen toen ze werd gespot in een dikke zwarte trenchcoat met een bontrand.

Kristin Scott Thomas, 63, voegde een vleugje kleur toe aan het uitje en zag er prachtig uit toen ze naar buiten stapte in een smaragdgroene trenchcoat.

Ze hield haar outfit licht en helder en combineerde haar statement-kledingstuk met een beige tweedelig pak.

De actrice van Four Weddings And A Funeral maakte haar glamoureuze look af met beige platte schoenen met puntige tenen en een gunmetal clutch.

Gastheren van het evenement Carolina Cucinelli, co-president en co-creatief directeur, en haar echtgenoot Alessio Piastrelli, creatief directeur voor mannen, verwelkomden gasten uit de wereld van film- en kostuumontwerp die samenkwamen voor een diner en cocktails om de Britse filmindustrie te vieren voorafgaand aan de 77e jaarlijkse Britse filmindustrie. Academy Film Awards deze zondag.

De opnames van een nieuwe serie van Downton Abbey zijn in het geheim begonnen.

Het periodedrama – waarvan de laatste aflevering iets meer dan acht jaar geleden werd uitgezonden – maakt een verrassende comeback in een zevende serie.

Bazen hoopten enkele van de grote namen terug te kunnen halen, zoals Michelle, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern en Joanne Froggatt, die in de voorgaande zes seizoenen en twee filmspin-offs verschenen.

Hoewel het niet bekend is of ze zich allemaal hebben aangemeld, zouden de chefs 'opgetogen' zijn met hun casting.

De terugkeer van de show, die werd gefilmd in Highclere Castle in Hampshire en die de vele maatschappelijke veranderingen en wereldgebeurtenissen tussen 1912 en 1928 besloeg, zal naar verwachting eind dit jaar op het scherm te zien zijn.

Het is duidelijk dat het op ITV zal verschijnen, waar het van 2010 tot 2015 werd uitgezonden.

Oude afleveringen van Downton worden goed bekeken op het streamingplatform ITVX van de zender, dus tv-insiders verwachten dat ze zullen doen wat ze kunnen om te voorkomen dat de film naar rivalen als Netflix of Amazon gaat.

Een bron dicht bij het project vertelde aan de Mail: 'Het filmen is nu al een paar weken aan de gang, het is allemaal heel erg geheim. Er zijn mensen die eraan werken en die een dergelijke geheimhouding nog nooit hebben gezien.

'Degenen die aan de set werken, moeten geheimhoudingsovereenkomsten ondertekenen, zodat ze de game niet weggeven, maar er is veel opwinding over de terugkeer van Downton.

'Het was eerder zo'n groot succes en er zijn nog zoveel meer verhalen te vertellen. Het leek zo zonde om er niet meer van te kunnen maken, maar het is ze gelukt.'

The Mail on Sunday onthulde afgelopen mei dat bazen hoopten de serie nieuw leven in te blazen en in december sloot maker Julian Fellowes de terugkeer niet uit toen hem werd gevraagd of deze een comeback zou maken.

Hij zei tegen Radio Times: 'Ik heb zo vaak afscheid genomen van Downton en ik heb de laatste scène zo'n zes of zeven keer geschreven. Nu heb ik de gewoonte om permanente uitspraken te doen over de vraag of het weg is.

'Ik vind het gewoon heel leuk dat zoveel mensen ervan hebben genoten, dus om te voelen dat je een show hebt gemaakt waar mensen blij van worden en dat ze zich er goed mee hebben vermaakt, dat vind ik geweldig.'

De laatste aflevering van de show – die fungeerde als lanceerplatform voor de carrières van mevrouw Dockery, die Lady Mary speelde, Lily James, die Lady Rose speelde, en Jessica Brown Findlay, die Lady Sybil speelde, werd uitgezonden op eerste kerstdag 2015. met een kijkcijfer dat piekte op 7,4 miljoen.

In de finale zagen kijkers Edith – gespeeld door Laura Carmichael – en Bertie, gespeeld door Harry Hadden-Patton, eindelijk trouwen, op oudejaarsavond 1925.

De laatste serie werd gevolgd door twee films, één in 2019 en de andere in 2022.

By Sean O'grady for Mailonline

Published: 3:45 PM EST, February 14, 2024 | Updated: 7:03 PM EST, February 14, 2024