Actress Lisa Dillon feels 'betrayed' by Patrick Stewart's portrayal of their 5-yr relationship in memoir
LONDON, ENGLAND: Sir Patrick Stewart is receiving harsh criticism from his former girlfriend Lisa Dillon for “diminishing” their five-year relationship in his autobiography ‘Making It So’.
The 45-year-old actress, known for her role in BBC’s ‘Cranford’, was in a relationship with Stewart from 2003 to 2007. Then 23, she met the ‘X-Men’ star, who was 62 at the time and married to television producer Wendy Neuss, in a production of ‘The Master Builder’.
Lisa Dillon lashes out at Sir Patrick Stewart
The Coventry, England-born actress is not pleased with the way the ‘Star Trek’ star has “diminished” their relationship in his new memoir.
During a recent interview with The Times UK, Dillon shared that she “felt upset, angry and betrayed” after reading Stewart’s portrayal of her in the book.
The actress, who remained friends with the veteran actor even after the dissolution of their romance, shared her frustration as she admitted, “I’m still in a place of turmoil with it all,” per The Independent.
Stewart reflected on his relationship with Dillon in his memoir writing, “And so, another divorce. I felt stupid and responsible … I had cheated on my wife with a younger woman – again.”
Continuing about his regret of two failed marriages, Stewart wrote, “And just like my affair with Jenny Hetrick, my time with Lisa Dillon would also prove to be relatively short … In a life chockablock with joy and success, my two failed marriages are my greatest regret.”
The 83-year-old actor has been divorced twice. He was married to his first wife Sheila Falconer from 1966 to 1990 and his second wife Wendy Neuss from 2000 to 2003.
Stewart started his relationship with Dillon four months before his divorce with Neuss. Stewart married his third wife, singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell in 2013.
Dillon, who maintained a solid friendship with the ‘Macbeth’ actor, also suggested to the news outlet that her friendship is over too.
Dillon continued, “The impression he gives is that our relationship was very fleeting – that I was a silly affair that broke up a marriage – and he got caught out.”
“But it’s not just about our nearly five years together – this is the most enduring friendship of my life. Or it was,” noted the British actress.
She also shared that she felt Stewart would “honor” their relationship if he were ever to write a memoir and include his relationship with Dillon in it.
The ‘Hawking’ actress shared, “In my heart of hearts, I always felt he would honor me properly if he were to write about me.”
Lisa Dillon upset by Patrick Stewart’s suggestion that he never loved her
While Stewart’s portrayal of Dillon pained the actress, she felt particularly distraught by Stewart’s insinuation that he was probably never in love with her.
The ‘Logan’ actor wrote in his memoir, “I remember the warning I had received from an older actor decades ago, that if you keep saying ‘I love you’ to someone in a play, you can drift into believing the sentiment to be true.”
While Stewart suggested that he was probably not in love, Dillon shared that she felt “very loved” by her then-partner.
She told The Times that Stewart “relocated his life from Los Angeles to be with me in England and we lived together almost immediately.”
“Everybody had to be in the know because we were going to live this mature, loving life together. And I felt very loved by him,” admitted Dillon.
Nevertheless, after reading the book, Dillon admitted that she is now coming to terms with the reality and seeing her vulnerabilities for the first time.
She said that she “always looked back at that period with pride... reading what he’s written has for the first time made me take on board my age,” adding she can now “see my vulnerability in a way that I never have before.”
The entire situation made her question, “For the first time, I’ve thought, ‘What did a 62-year-old man find attractive about me at 23?’”
Despite coming to terms with the reality, the ‘Suffragette’ star signed off by saying that she expected at least some loyalty from Stewart after she “spent 20 years fielding put-down remarks about” their relationship.