B ill Nighy has denied rumours of a romance with Dame Anna Wintour after the pair’s joint appearance on the Met Gala red carpet set tongues wagging.
The actor has denied rumours that he and Dame Anna - both 73 - were romantically involved after their appearance at the glitzy fashion event in New York.
On Tuesday, a representative for Nighy said in a statement: “Bill and Anna have simply been great friends for two decades. They are not in a relationship.”
Romance rumours were earlier sparked when they were spotted enjoying dinner together in Italy in 2021.
The pair were also seen watching his film Living, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, at several screenings in New York last year.
On Monday, Dame Anna, who has been hosting the Met Gala for nearly 30 years, donned a white, cat-patterned Chanel couture dress on the carpet while Nighy wore a dark suit.
Nighy and Dame Anna on the red carpet / REUTERS
Marking the unveiling of the Metropolitan Museum’s exhibition Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty in New York, the annual event brought together A-listers across fashion, film and music.
The dress code for this year’s event was “in honour of Karl” – in tribute to the late fashion designer, who died at the age of 85 in February 2019.
British stars Dua Lipa and Michaela Coel both thanked Dame Anna for the “honour” of hosting the 2023 Met Gala.
The pair were among the first celebrity arrivals to the event on Monday, one of the biggest nights in the fashion calendar.
It was only Lipa’s second time attending the Met Gala, and she acknowledged her “big responsibility” of honouring Lagerfeld’s legacy.
“It’s a big responsibility and a big honour and I feel very lucky that Anna asked me to do this to honour Karl’s night, and his legacy,” the pop megastar told Vogue, speaking on the event’s carpet.
“I mean, we’ve got some work to do inside but it’s going to be such an exciting, amazing experience and I’m really, really looking forward to it.”
Lipa’s white dress – in Chanel’s signature tweed fabric – had a corset bodice, black trim and fringing at the hem.
German supermodel Claudia Schiffer originally wore the design in the early 90s.
Lipa, 27, accessorised the look with a statement Tiffany diamond necklace she said had never been seen before in public.
She said that wearing the archival Chanel item was “a dream come true”.
Met Gala 2023: Best Dressed 1 / 88 Met Gala 2023: Best Dressed A$AP Rocky and Rihanna in Gucci and Valentino Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Cara Delevingne in Karl Lagerfeld AFP via Getty Images Dua Lipa in Chanel Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Elle Fanning in Vivienne Westwood Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Pete Davidson in Fendi Getty Images Mindy Kaling in Jonathan Simkhai Getty Images Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham both in Valentino Getty Images Lila Moss and Kate Moss both in Fendi Getty Images Kylie Jenner in Jean Paul Gaultier Getty Images Lil Nas X in Pat McGrath makeup Getty Images Jenna Ortega in Thom Browne Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Sienna Miller and Emily Blunt Miller in Gucci, Blunt in Michael Kors Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Hannah Bagshawe and Eddie Redmayne Getty Images Serena Williams in Gucci Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Idris Elba in Gucci Getty Images Florence Pugh in Valentino Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Michelle Yeoh in Karl Lagerfeld Getty Images Manu Rios in Karl Lagerfeld Getty Images Kendall Jenner in Marc Jacobs Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Jodie Comer in Burberry Getty Images Jared Leto Getty Images Anne Hathaway in Versace Getty Images Lizzo in Chanel Getty Images Lea Michele in Michael Kors Getty Images Glenn Close in Erdem Getty Images Jeremy Strong in Prada Getty Images Lily Collins in Vera Wang Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Salma Hayek in Gucci Getty Images Precious Lee in Fendi Getty Images Amber Valletta in Karl Lagerfeld Getty Images Billie Eilish in Simone Rocha Getty Images Jack Harlow in Tommy Hilfiger Getty Images FKA Twigs in Maison Margiela Getty Images Kerry Washington in Michael Kors Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Emily Blunt in Michael Kors Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Alexa Chung in Róisín Pierce Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Letitia Wright in Prada Getty Images Sienna Miller in Gucci Getty Images Jeremy Pope in Balmain AFP via Getty Images Doja Cat in Oscar De La Renta Getty Images Margot Robbie in Chanel Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Daisy Edgar-Jones in Gucci Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Halle Bailey in Gucci Getty Images Julia Garner in Gucci Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Sydney Sweeney in Miu Miu Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Tom Ford in Tom Ford Getty Images Suki Waterhouse in Fendi Getty Images Ashley Graham in Harris Reed Getty Images Gwendoline Christie in Fendi Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Amanda Seyfried in Oscar De La Renta Getty Images Karlie Kloss in Loewe Getty Images Anok Yai in Prabal Gurung Getty Images Rami Malek Getty Images Maya Hawke in Prada Getty Images Gisele Bündchen in Chanel Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Naomi Campbell in Chanel Getty Images Michaela Coel in Schiaparelli Getty Images Ariana DeBose and Joseph Altuzarra in Altuzarra Getty Images Catherine Martin and Baz Luhrmann Getty Images Emily Ratajkowski in Tory Burch Getty Images Taika Waititi and Rita Ora in Prabal Gurung Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Emma Chamberlain in Miu Miu Getty Images Penélope Cruz in Chanel Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Anna Wintour and Bill Nighy in Chanel Getty Images Chloe Fineman in Wiederhoeft Getty Images La La Anthony in Sergio Hudson Getty Images for The Met Museum/
Wearing a surrealist design by Schiaparelli, Coel’s brown dress was heavily embellished with plenty of nods to Lagerfeld hidden among the design – which featured 130,000 crystals.
“I’m just a tourist in this industry – I’m here to serve,” she told Vogue.
The pair co-chaired the Met Gala 2023 alongside Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz, tennis star Roger Federer and Dame Anna herself.
The Vogue editor-in-chief said she had “a very emotional night” ahead and paid tribute to her friend Lagerfeld.
“It’s a very emotional night for me. I loved Karl so much and it’s just wonderful to see so many people who are turning out to honour him, and give him the recognition that he so deserves,” she said.