Vogue’s Anna Wintour makes red carpet debut with actor Bill Nighy at Met Gala

After years of speculation, the fashion icon and the Love Actually actor have confirmed their romance with a date night on the red carpet.

US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and English actor Bill Nighy arrive for the 2023 Met Gala. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP

Fashion heavyweight Anna Wintour and actor Bill Nighy made their debut as a couple today at the Met Gala in New York.

The pair appeared arm-in-arm as they walked the red carpet on the famed steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, almost three years after first sparking romance rumours.

The Vogue editor-in-chief – who is also the stylish mastermind behind the Met Gala and has been hosting the event for nearly 30 years – wore an elegant Chanel gown and coat, while the Love Actually star complemented her perfectly in his navy suit.

Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and English actor Bill Nighy arrive for the 2023 Met Gala. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP

Wintour and Nighy, both 73, have known each other for many years and have accompanied each other to various fashion shows, theatre outings and restaurants since 2015.

However, their friendship reportedly turned romantic in 2021 when they were spotted on a series of dates together in Rome. The romance came shortly after Wintour’s split from her partner of 16 years, Shelby Bryan, in October 2020.

Meanwhile, Nighy’s last significant relationship was with English actress Diana Quick, who he was with for 26 years up until their split in 2008.

This is the first time the couple walked the red carpet together. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP

The pair’s rare red carpet appearance comes just days after Wintour sidestepped a question from The Telegraph UK about one of their articles featuring Nighy.

“I’m very ingrained in the British papers,” she told the outlet in the interview, while not taking the bait. “My dad was a Fleet Street editor, my brother [Patrick Wintour] works for The Guardian. I read them all at night online.”

In the article in question, Nighy was asked about Wintour and their various outings together, but he too gave a well-rehearsed answer.

“I’d love to answer that,” he said. “But if I did, I’d be involving the readers in something very close to gossip, and I know they’d never forgive me for that.”