Art imitates life? The Affair actor Dominic West responded to cheating rumors after his kiss with Lily James. West and James, who star in the upcoming BBC series The Pursuit of Love, were photographed kissing at a restaurant in Rome on Sunday, October 11, and no, it doesn’t seem like it was a part of their show.

According to a source for The Daily Mail, West and James, who is married, were seen touring Rome together on an electric scooter and visiting landmarks, such as the Spanish Steps and the Piazza di Pietra, before their kiss. The newspaper also reported that the two spent tow nights at the Hotel de La Ville. After the affair made the news, West and his wife, Catherine Fitzgerald, an Irish landscaper, responded to the cheating rumors by giving reporters a note on Tuesday, October 13, that read: “Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together,”

West and Fitzgerland wed in June 2010 and share four children: Dora, 14, Senan, 12, Francis, 11, and Christabel, 5. The two met while they were students at Trinity College Dublin. West is also the father of another daughter named Martha, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Polly Astor.

Source: Instagram

Despite West and Fitzgerald’s united front, a source told The Daily Mail at the time of the rumors that West’s wife is “shocked, heartbroken, and devastated” by the photographs of him kissing James. “Catherine has seen the pictures and she’s devastated,” said a friend of Fitzgerald. “I came over to speak with her as soon as I knew about them.”

The source continued, “Catherine has been trying to speak with Dominic but he’s not answering his phone. She’s totally shocked because she didn’t know anything was going on. They were very much together, so this is completely out of the blue.”

The insider went on to say that Fitzergald was blindsided by the reports about her marriage and the cheating rumors.

“She thought they had a good marriage and now it’s probably over. That’s how she feels right now but the two of them need to speak but at the moment, she’s lost for words,” the source said. To say she’s in shock would be an understatement. She’s heartbroken and has got nothing to publicly say. She needs to be left alone and have some time to herself.”