These pictures could break a thousand hearts. Eternal bachelor Brendan Coyle, loved by millions for his portrayal of the manly, dignified and courageous valet John Bates in Downton Abbey, has been spotted in the arms of a beguiling blonde.
Brendan, 49, was recently quoted as saying that he is finally ready to meet someone to settle down with.
It seems, at last, that there’s a chance he could have found her. Today, the Mail can reveal the identity of Brendan’s glamorous companion. Petite, fine-featured and the palest of blondes, she is 49-year-old Joy Harrison, a leading light at a London theatre school.
The two of them looked very cosy courtside in New York, watching the Knicks basketball team play at Madison Square Garden earlier this week. She leaned in close to him while he apparently explained the rules of the sport.
Sitting in the second row at the celebrity-packed Knicks game wasn’t what you might call a low-key date; Coyle must have known that this appearance would have caused much speculation about their relationship. Indeed, he might have had publicity on his mind, as he was in the U.S. for some Downton-related promotional events along with the rest of the cast.
They’ve known each other for at least two-and-a-half years and we can reveal that back in April 2010, when Downton Abbey had been filmed but not yet broadcast, Joy spent her birthday weekend with Coyle at his home in Norfolk.
Brendan, not yet famous, was so thrilled about their time together that he posted a series of photographs of them together on his Facebook page.
In the pictures, they can be seen bounding along the magnificent beaches near his home in Downham Market, wrapped up warm against the chilly spring winds.
However, as recently as October this year, Brendan was telling a magazine: ‘I’m single, I’m looking for something meaningful,’ adding, ‘I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, but only now am I truly ready for a relationship.’
However, the fact is that Brendan attended both the BAFTAs in spring and the Pride of Britain awards earlier this year with Joy, although she did not walk the red carpet with him. Anyone who saw them together was informed that she was ‘just a good friend’ and nothing more.
However, I can reveal that by September this year, Joy was among the party of family and loved ones who traveled to Los Angeles with the Downton cast for the Emmys.
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