Bill Nighy has clarified that he and Anna Wintour are just “great friends” after the pair sparked rumours rumours when they walked the red carpet of the Met Gala together.

Wintour, who’s been organising the annual fundraising event since 1995, arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday 1 May arm-in-arm with Nighy. For the occasion, which honoured her late friend Karl Lagerfeld, she wore a patterned coat over a silver, satin skirt.

Meanwhile, Nighy wore a black suit along with a white button-down shirt and a navy blue tie. As the pair posed for pictures, Wintour had her hand wrapped around the Love, Actually star’s arm.

However, in statement to The Independent, a representative for Nighy denied that he is dating Wintour. “Bill and Anna have simply been great friends for two decades,” the statement read. “They are not in a relationship.”

The pair first sparked romance rumours back in December 2022 when they were spotted in New York City for the screening of Nighy’s film Living. At the time, The Telegraph reported that the actor and journalist, who have been friends for years, were involved in a private, romantic relationship.

Rumours about the duo dating also swirled back in 2018 after they were spotted at a theatre together in London. Nighy briefly addressed the dating speculation to Page Six at the time, saying: “There are a lot of rumours about me and probably about Anna.”

Before fans speculated that she was dating Nighy, Wintour was married to David Shaffer from 1984 to 1999. The pair share two children, Charles, 38, and Bee, 35.

She was also in a long-term relationship with Shelby Bryan before they split in 2020. Nighy also has a daughter, Mary, 38, whom he shares with his ex, Diana Quick.

On Monday, Wintour’s annual event paid tribute to her late friend and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. The dress code was “in honour of Karl” and saw many celebrities walking the red carpet in looks that represented the designer and his work.

You can follow live updates of the 2023 Met Gala here.

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