There was no turning away when Claire Foy and Matt Smithโs chemistry steamed up our TVs in The Crown.
Viewers watched as the co-stars breathed passion into the Queen and Prince Philipโs stilted relationship โ and it turns out the stars may not have been acting!
With reports the 37-year-old Dr Who star has split from his girlfriend of five years Lily James, 30, rumours are ablaze he has found comfort in the arms of his co-star Claire, 35.
Despite their time on the show being over, friends say Claire and Matt couldnโt handle being without their โon-screen spouseโ and the couple have been spending countless hours together working on the two-person play Lungs in London over autumn, for which theyโve had rave reviews, and hanging out at their local pub in North London.
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Co-stars Matt Smith and Claire Foy are rumoured to be dating.
(Source:Getty)โThere was chemistry between them on the first day they auditioned in 2016,โ says a friend.
โNo oneโs surprised one bit. Theyโve got the same sense of humour and answer each otherโs questions. You get that when people star together over a long time, but this is something else. They almost sizzle โ you hold your breath when they look into each otherโs eyes. Incredible chemistry.โ
No wonder a double date in 2017 with their then-spouses Lily and Stephen Moore, 42, turned into a disaster.
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The Crown stars have strong chemistry.
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Matt Smith and Lily James are thought to have split after five years.
(Source:Getty)โClaire and Matt got on so well they tried to include their other halves, but that was the writing on the wall,โ adds the insider.
โSeeing the chemistry in person is undeniable. No one who knows them is surprised by the fact theyโve hooked up. They have so much in common and can talk independent plays and scripts until the sun comes up.โ
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โNo one who knows them is surprised by the fact theyโve hooked up.โ an insider says.
(Source:Getty)As for heartbroken Lily, who recently returned from a โpost-traumaticโ healing holiday with friends in South Africa, sources say sheโs way off the mark to suggest Matt and Claire cheated, with her post patting a cheetah.
โNeither of them are the type to stray, despite what Lily may say,โ adds the insider.
โThe wonderful thing is itโs a romance born from friendship, naturally progressing into something more serious. Claireโs super-cautious about moving too fast because she has her daughter [Ivy, four] to consider, but we havenโt seen either of them this happy in years!โ