I was honoured to know John. The Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery’s fiance, John Dineen, has died aged 34 after a long-term illness. Rachel Dale, The Sun … But she cut her trip short and rushed back to Ireland when she heard Dineen didn’t have long left. “It was clear that when John was in your corner he was there. Just months into their relationship, Dineen was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Just as Lady Mary was a young widow, Dockery was only 33 when Dineen died. In Downton Abbey, Dockery’s character, Lady Mary Crawley, was widowed and left to look after her son George following the death of her on-screen husband Matthew Crawley, played by actor Dan Stevens. He died with Dockery and his family around him. She's a great girl – probably as far from Lady Mary as you could imagine". Dineen, a public relations executive, proposed to the Downton Abbey actress in early 2015; however, the pair never made it down the aisle. She’s a great girl – probably as far from Lady Mary as you could imagine.”, Sad to have lost my friend John Dineen, he was an incredible man Thoughts & Prayers to his family & #MichelleDockery pic.twitter.com/UJyc87QZoh, Following Tuesday’s news, the Dragons’ Den investor Gavin Duffy paid tribute to Dineen, tweeting: “Michelle Dockery Lady Mary, young widow #Downton has confirmed her real life fiance Corkman John Dineen has died RIP.”. Thoughts & Prayers to his family & #MichelleDockery”. Downton Abbey’s final episode, a feature-length special, will be broadcast on Christmas Day. She says she wouldn’t expect anyone in her life to fully understand what it was like to lose him. “Whether in his work or his personal life John was extremely loyal,” she said. He was just 34 years old. In an interview with Red magazine, published last month, she also spoke of the security her relationship brought her. Come on Munster! The family appealed for privacy as they made the final preparations for a private funeral service in Cork on Wednesday. Dockery never revealed much about him in interviews, except to say that she’d met him through her Irish Downton Abbey co-star Allen Leech, who played Tom Branson. Dineen died in December 2015, a week before the final episode of Downton Abbey aired in the UK. “She’s a great girl – probably as far from Lady Mary as you could imagine.”, Dineen worked in London, and the couple were occasionally snapped together out in public, including at Wimbledon and the Venice Film Festival. Dineen, a public relations director, died on … The actor has received critical acclaim for her role, having been nominated for three consecutive Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. “It’s what keeps you going, that positivity – to never lose that hope for a miracle,” she told The Guardian. Michelle Dockery and John Dineen in the royal box at Wimbledon’s centre court last year. PHOTOS: Stars gone too soon Read article Leech has said of introducing the pair: “John’s like family to me and I knew he’d really get on with Michelle. If you're not already a Mamamia member, sign up (it's easy, we promise). Michelle Dockery spent three years playing a grieving widow in Downton Abbey. Dineen’s sister Trish said at the funeral that she had received a new “sister” and “angel” in Dockery. In October 2015, Dockery pulled out of a stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Despite her worries for her fiancé, she managed to finish filming the show’s last season, where Lady Mary was still struggling to deal with the trauma of Matthew’s car-crash death, years down the track. Please sign in to contribute to the Mamamia Community. “It was just baffling, and still is to me, that my character’s storyline was so similar.”. A post shared by Michelle Dockery (@theladydockers) on Aug 30, 2019 at 11:07am PDT. Michelle Dockery and John Dineen met in 2013. Even though Dockery never married Dineen, she refers to herself as a widow. But then came the news that Dineen’s cancer was terminal. Dockery, who played Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV period drama, was recently on a promotional tour for Downton Abbey in the US, during which she made an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last Wednesday and Watch What Happens Live on Thursday. Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery's partner, John Dineen, has passed away at the age of 34 after battling a rare form of cancer. Sign up for the “Mamamia Daily” newsletter. They again made headlines earlier this year when it was reported that Dockery was showing off a diamond ring to her co-stars during screen tests. Now, she's gearing up for the U.S. release of the Downton Abbey movie, in … But, at this stage, my instincts are pretty good,” she said. In 2016, three months after his death, she returned to work to film Good Behavior. The actress had been introduced to Dineen, then a public relations director at FTI Consulting in London, by Irish actor Allen Leech, who appeared alongside Dockery in Downton Abbey. Leech was quoted as saying "John's like family to me and I knew he'd really get on with Michelle. “We were introduced by Allen Leech. “You see things differently,” she told The Guardian. And then she became one herself. Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery gets engaged to Irish boyfriend John Dineen Congratulations are in order for actress Michelle Dockery and her boyfriend John Dineen. The Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery’s fiance, John Dineen, has died aged 34 after a long-term illness. In December, Dockery flew with her Downton Abbey co-stars to the US to promote the show’s final season. “Work didn’t matter,” Dockery later said. Downton Abbey Star Michelle Dockery Devastated After Fiancé Dies of Cancer at 34 Public Relations executive John Dineen died of a rare form of cancer in Cork, Ireland on Sunday Watch the trailer for Downton Abbey the movie. Her relationship with Dineen is thought to have begun in September 2013 after they were introduced by the Irish actor Allen Leech, who stars alongside Dockery in Downton Abbey. That’s all you need to know.”, “John’s like family to me and I knew he’d really get on with Michelle,” he explained. Originally from Waterfall near Cork city, Dineen had been working with the FTI Consulting firm in London when he was diagnosed with the illness. The Downton Abbey star was among family and close friends as she attended the wake at the Church of St James in the village of Ballinora, County Cork, close to the farm where Mr Dineen … “One of the difficult things at the time was the parallels with Mary,” Dockery told The Guardian in 2017. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone or expect them to know.”. Golden Globe-winning actor’s partner, public relations director John Dineen, died on Sunday in an Irish hospice, First published on Tue 15 Dec 2015 12.22 GMT. He was my friend, my king, my hero, my everything.”. While Dockery’s character Lady Mary lost her husband Matthew in a car crash, Dockery lost her fiancé John Dineen to cancer. The couple were first pictured together as they holidayed in Venice, Italy, during that year’s 70th International Venice Film Festival. While Dockery’s character Lady Mary lost her husband Matthew in a car crash, Dockery lost her fiancé John Dineen to cancer.