James Norton has spoken about the end of his six-year relationship with Imogen Poots, after he was spotted on what looked to be a date with Lily Allen.
The Happy Valley star, who has been in the running to take over the coveted Bond role for several years, split from Poots last year in what he has now said was an ‘abrupt’ end to their relationship.
The 39-year-old said he found the break-up ‘hard’ but said they would remain friends, although he did not name Poots.
Speaking at a talk on The Information stage at Glastonbury Festival on Thursday, Norton added: ‘I was about to have kids, about to get married, all that kind of stuff, and my life just turned around, completely changed direction.
‘I thought I lost the person, but I also lost the life that I was about to lead, and the kids that we named, all that kind of stuff.
‘And actually, in the last year and a half, I have gone through the most monumental change as a result and I feel like I’ve grown up, I feel like I’ve become a man.
‘I suddenly feel like I’ve grown up, I found some friends, relationships, the outpouring of love from my family around me was amazing.
‘But so much has been born from that massive, radical change.’
It comes after Lily Allen, 40, has been spotted on an apparent date with Norton after her own split from Stranger Things star David Harbour, 50.
After meeting on celebrity dating app Raya in 2019, the couple married the following year.
However, in late 2024 Lily described ‘not being in a great place mentally’, before it was later revealed she’d split from David, who was then accused of having an affair.
The pair were spotted at Lido Festival in London, which was headlined by acts including Massive Attack, Jamie xx, Charli XCX and London Grammar.
On Saturday they were snapped shunning the VIP areas to go into the crowds and watch artists together, including Charli.
Weighing in on the pics, body language expert Judi James commented on what she suspected was a first date.
‘The body language here does suggests this is a date but it looks very much like a first date, when two people are maybe still just claiming to be friends,’ she explained.
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