Bill Nighy has denied rumours of a romance with Dame Anna Wintour after the pair’s joint appearance on the Met Gala red carpet set tongues wagging.
The actor has denied rumours that he and Dame Anna - both 73 - were romantically involved after their appearance at the glitzy fashion event in New York.
On Tuesday, a representative for Nighy said in a statement: “Bill and Anna have simply been great friends for two decades. They are not in a relationship.”
Romance rumours were earlier sparked when they were spotted enjoying dinner together in Italy in 2021.
The pair were also seen watching his film Living, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, at several screenings in New York last year.
On Monday, Dame Anna, who has been hosting the Met Gala for nearly 30 years, donned a white, cat-patterned Chanel couture dress on the carpet while Nighy wore a dark suit.
Marking the unveiling of the Metropolitan Museum’s exhibition Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty in New York, the annual event brought together A-listers across fashion, film and music.
The dress code for this year’s event was “in honour of Karl” – in tribute to the late fashion designer, who died at the age of 85 in February 2019.
British stars Dua Lipa and Michaela Coel both thanked Dame Anna for the “honour” of hosting the 2023 Met Gala.
The pair were among the first celebrity arrivals to the event on Monday, one of the biggest nights in the fashion calendar.
It was only Lipa’s second time attending the Met Gala, and she acknowledged her “big responsibility” of honouring Lagerfeld’s legacy.
“It’s a big responsibility and a big honour and I feel very lucky that Anna asked me to do this to honour Karl’s night, and his legacy,” the pop megastar told Vogue, speaking on the event’s carpet.
“I mean, we’ve got some work to do inside but it’s going to be such an exciting, amazing experience and I’m really, really looking forward to it.”
Lipa’s white dress – in Chanel’s signature tweed fabric – had a corset bodice, black trim and fringing at the hem.
German supermodel Claudia Schiffer originally wore the design in the early 90s.
Lipa, 27, accessorised the look with a statement Tiffany diamond necklace she said had never been seen before in public.
She said that wearing the archival Chanel item was “a dream come true”.
Wearing a surrealist design by Schiaparelli, Coel’s brown dress was heavily embellished with plenty of nods to Lagerfeld hidden among the design – which featured 130,000 crystals.
“I’m just a tourist in this industry – I’m here to serve,” she told Vogue.
The pair co-chaired the Met Gala 2023 alongside Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz, tennis star Roger Federer and Dame Anna herself.
The Vogue editor-in-chief said she had “a very emotional night” ahead and paid tribute to her friend Lagerfeld.
“It’s a very emotional night for me. I loved Karl so much and it’s just wonderful to see so many people who are turning out to honour him, and give him the recognition that he so deserves,” she said.
