Michelle Dockery Engaged to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Brother Jasper

“Downtown Abbey” star Michelle Dockery, 40, and Jasper Waller-Bridge, 34, are taking the next step in their relationship!

On Thursday, the couple announced their engagement in the U.K. newspaper The Times. The announcement said, “The engagement is announced between Jasper, son of Michael Waller-Bridge of King’s Lynn, Norfolk, and Teresa Waller-Bridge of Battersea, London, and Michelle Dockery, younger daughter of Michael and Lorraine Dockery of Gidea Park, Essex.”

Jasper is the brother of “Fleabag” star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Michelle and Jasper have been dating since 2019 after meeting through mutual friends.

A source recently told DailyMail.com, "It was all taken slowly and in a considered manner but they are really enjoying being together. Michelle has been traveling a lot to promote the "Downton" movie but they have been in constant contact..."

The insider added, "Their friends and families are very happy for them. It is just so lovely. Jasper is a bit younger than Michelle but he has dated other older women in the past and it appears to be working for both of them."

Last year, Michelle declined to discuss her relationship with Phoebe and Jasper. She told Tatler magazine, “This is something that’s personal. I guess what I’ve learnt is to keep talking about the work. There are a lot of other things that come along with success and that would be my advice for anyone: keep your head down, make it about the job. I feel grateful. I’d achieved a lot by the time I was 30. I was in one of the biggest shows in the world. It’s very rare something like that happens. I certainly wasn’t expecting it. But it’s put me in a position now where I can slow down. This business, it never really stops. You do something, you promote it, you’re on to the next job. I’m learning I need to find ways to switch off. Unwind.”

Michelle was previously engaged to John Dineen, but he died of cancer in 2015 at the age of 34.

Years ago, Dockery opened up on the death of Dineen, telling The Guardian, “I don’t have the vocabulary to describe what it felt like. I’ve never been more committed to anything in my life than to him. So at the time everything just shut down. Work, everything. Work didn’t matter. You suddenly become an [oncological] expert. This stuff becomes your world, and that of course was my priority.”

“I never lost hope. No. I’m not exaggerating when I say that John did not complain once, never, not once, and that gave us strength,” Michelle went on. “It’s what keeps you going, that positivity – to never lose that hope for a miracle. I couldn’t have done it any other way… John was a very private person, and the hardest thing was keeping it out of the press when he was sick. It took a lot.”