THE RUNDOWN
- Michelle Dockery and her husband, Jasper Waller-Bridge, were first romantically linked in 2019.
- The couple announced their engagement in 2022 and got married in September 2023.
- They have made very few public appearances and have kept their love story almost entirely private.
Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery had a very dramatic love affair on-screen, but offscreen, she keeps her relationship with producer and talent manager Jasper Waller-Bridge very quiet and seemingly peaceful. The U.K. couple ran in many of the same circles in London before they were linked in 2019 and were soon engaged.
Dockery was previously engaged to Irish public relations director John Dineen, who passed away ahead of their wedding in 2016. The actress called herself a “widow” in an interview about his passing with the Guardian in 2017.
“I never lost hope,” she shared. “No. I’m not exaggerating when I say that John did not complain once, never, not once, and that gave us strength. It’s what keeps you going, that positivity—to never lose that hope for a miracle. I couldn’t have done it any other way. We were engaged, and married at heart, and so I do consider myself a widow.”
The actress eventually found new love with Waller Bridge, though she had remained very private about that experience. Here’s their complete relationship timeline so far.
2019
The pair were first linked in 2019, supposedly after being introduced by mutual friends. They both attended the Rome Film Festival in late 2019, but Dockery walked the red carpet alone.
![downton abbey red carpet 14th rome film fest 2019](https://ur1stop.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/michelle-dockery-attends-the-downton-abbey-red-carpet-news-photo-1735681108.pjpeg ""Downton Abbey" Red Carpet - 14th Rome Film Fest 2019")
January 2022
In early 2022, their engagement was officially announced in The Times, with a notice reading, “The engagement is announced between Jasper, son of Michael Waller-Bridge of King’s Lynn, Norfolk, and Teresa Waller-Bridge of Battersea, London, and Michelle, younger daughter of Michael and Lorraine Dockery of Gidea Park, Essex.”
April 2022
They made their red carpet debut for the premiere of Dockery’s Netflix series Anatomy of a Scandal.
![anatomy of a scandal world premiere](https://ur1stop.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/michelle-dockery-and-jasper-waller-bridge-attend-the-world-news-photo-1735680767.pjpeg ""Anatomy Of A Scandal" World Premiere")
That same month, they walked the red carpet for the premiere of Downton Abbey: A New Era.
![downton abbey a new era world premiere vip arrivals](https://ur1stop.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/michelle-dockery-and-jasper-waller-bridge-attend-the-world-news-photo-1735680811.pjpeg ""Downton Abbey: A New Era" World Premiere - VIP Arrivals")
July 2022
They attended Day 7 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3.
September 2023
The couple was married in September 2023 at St. Nicholas church in Chiswick, West London. They invited guests to a reception at Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham.
Dockery wore a satin white gown by Emilia Wickstead, and Waller Bridge was dressed in a blue three-piece suit. Guests included Laura Carmichael, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Martin McDonaugh, Lily James, Joanne Froggatt, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Lesley Manville and Lesley Nicol, Imelda Staunton, and Jim Carter. Carmichael served as a bridesmaid in Dockery’s wedding party after playing her sister Edith Crawley on Downton Abbey.
February 2024
On Valentine’s Day, the couple were seen at the BFI Chairman’s dinner in their first appearance since their marriage.
