Laura Carmichael and Michael Fox found themselves in a real-life upstairs-downstairs romance. After joining the cast of Downton Abbey as Lady Edith in 2010, Laura was later introduced to Michael, following his casting as foreman, Andrew Parker, in 2014.
The duo, who sparked romance rumours in 2016, have starred opposite one another on multiple occasions, notably in the fifth and sixth instalments, plus three subsequent movies, the third of which will premiere in September 2025. Notoriously private when it comes to their relationship, not to mention their son, Luca, Laura and Michael have spoken about their collaboration as co-stars, however, and they were happy to dish on their Downton dynamic.
Laura Carmichael and Michael Fox have raved about their dynamic at work
Chatting with Town & Country in 2019, Laura gushed: “When you are able to work and love it, it is such a joy. And I’ve fallen in love and made wonderful friends – how lucky am I?”
Meanwhile, Michael has told the Sunday Post that he and Laura have a system for balancing their work and home lives.
© Getty“We try not to talk about it too much outside of our personal lives. And that was the same on set. It was just professional. We’d go to work, and we didn’t want it to be a thing in any way when we were working together,” he explained.
© Getty“It was great, though, to go to work with your best pal. Apart from that, we like to keep it quite separate from Downton.”
The couple are back in Downton Abbey 3
Laura and Michael are both poised to return in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
Back in July, the actress was spotted filming alongside Michelle Dockery at Ripon Racecourse in North Yorkshire. Allen Leech, Nathan Wiley, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern were also visible on set.
© ShutterstockCurrently, there are no photos of Michael shooting scenes, but he’s featured on the extensive cast list. We can’t wait to see the pair back on-screen when the movie lands in cinemas on 12 September.
Laura and Michael aren’t the only Downton couple
Laura and Michael have found their feet as co-workers, much like Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter, who play Lady Maud Bagshaw and Mr. Carson.
Chatting with HELLO!, Imelda said that it was “so nice” to team up with her husband in the franchise. “Jim and I only worked together for about two days. It was so nice, so exciting. But of course I have been living with Downton for six or seven years… I tried to get the dog in it, no they weren’t having [it],” she joked.
© GettyLikewise, Phyllis Logan and Kevin McNally have co-starred on Downton. While the Mrs Hughes star was present from season one, her hubby entered the mix as Horace Bryant in season two, which she called ’embarrassing’.
In a recent appearance on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, Phyllis clarified that it was never “competitive” between them. Chiming in, Kevin couldn’t help but laugh as he recalled the moment he found out about his casting.
© Getty“There’s a very funny story about when I got it,” he began. “I came home and came to the house and I said, ‘Oh Phyllis, I’ve just been offered a job,’ and she said, ‘What is it?’ and I said ‘Downton Abbey. ‘
“And she said, ‘No, no, no, what is it?’ and I said ‘Downton Abbey’ and she said: ‘Oh, that’s so embarrassing. It’s like bring your husband to work day, I don’t come spoiling Pirates of the Caribbean for you! I don’t know what she got up to on the set when I wasn’t there,” quipped Kevin.
