Cinderella still hasn’t met her Prince Charming, but she seems to be having fun while looking for him. British actress Lily James, 33, has seemed to find love with rockstar Michael Shuman, 36. Lily has been pretty open about her dating life, regularly posting photos of Michael to her social media, and she’s also appeared with him (and past boyfriends) at public events!
Before getting together with Michael, the former Downton Abbey star has shown that she has a definite preference for dating fellow actors. Lily and Dom are currently filming the BBC period-piece miniseries The Pursuit of Love, based on author Nancy Mitford‘s bestselling 1945 novel. Before that, Lily dated Netflix’s The Crown star Matt Smith and had been linked to Captain America himself, Chris Evans. We’ve got Lily’s dating timeline.
Michael Shuman
Lily’s current beau is none other than rocker Michael Shuman. Michael (also known as “Mikey Shoes”) is the bassist for hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, and the singer/guitarist for indie rockers Mini Mansions. Lily and Michael went Instagram official in February 2022, when Lily shared a few photos of him in a photo set. Since then, the Pam & Tommy star has posted a few more shots of her boyfriend to her Instagram, and they seem like they make a sweet couple!
Dominic West
The pair raised eyebrows when Dominic West was photographed passionately kissing Lily’s neck over dinner in Rome. He even leaned in and stroked Lily’s hair, while gazing into her eyes. The pair then took a romantic scooter ride around the city, where Dominic was noticeably not wearing his wedding ring.
While Dominic and Lily made for a fetching couple, whatever happened between them was never really made clear. The former The Wire star is still married to his wife Catherine FitzGerald and they two have four children together: daughter Dora, 13, son Senan, 12, son Francis, 11, and daughter Christabel, 7. After the fact, Lily was asked about the controversy during a May 2021 interview with The Guardian. “I’m not really willing to talk about that. There is a lot to say, but not now, I’m afraid,” she responded.
Chris Evans
Lily and Chris sparked dating rumors in July 2020, when they were photographed together several times in London. They spent a night out at Mark’s Club in Mayfair, and then the twosome hopped into a car and headed back to Chris’ hotel together. The Mamma Mia! star and the 39-year-old Avengers hunk were then spotted having a romantic afternoon together on July 8, looking flirty while eating ice cream cones on a walk through a London park.
Lily later refused to confirm or deny any romance with Chris. She told Harper’s Bazaar UK in their Nov. 2020 issue, “Don’t be obsessed by boys! Hang out with your girl mates. And don’t take everything so seriously – be kind to yourself,” seeming to hint that she was enjoying the single life. However the publication pointed out that Lily, refused to “discuss whether or not she is dating the Captain America star Chris Evans.”
Matt Smith
Matt seemed to be the one for Lily. The pair began dating in 2014 after meeting while filming Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, later setting tongues wagging by being super flirty in Cannes in May 2014. Lily and Matt made their official red carpet debut as a couple at the 2015 premiere of Cinderella. Matt is best known for his role as Doctor Who, then became famous beyond the sci-fi set thanks to his role as Prince Phillip in the first two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown.
The the couple fueled breakup reports after five years together when they were photographed having a super intense lunch in London in Dec. 2019. They appeared to have patched things up in March of 2020, when the two were spotted going for a friendly walk together in London. But their romance had sadly come to an end by that point.
Jack Fox
Lily and Jack dated for a year in 2011, in what was her first high-profile romance, at least with her fellow English actor. The handsome 35-year-old British stage and screen star comes from the British Fox thespian dynasty, which includes his father James, brother Laurence, uncle Edward and cousins Emilia and Freddie. Jack and his dad even starred together in the 2015 West End production of Dear Lupin.
There wasn’t much drama involved between the young couple, who dated for about a year before calling it quits in 2012. They did make for the cutest pair, sweetly posing on red carpets together and showing off their romance. Jack would prove that Lily definitely prefers to date fellow actors, as everyone she has been linked to since him is in the profession.