Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery is best known for her long-time role as Lady Mary Crawley in the beloved television show, and it turns out she has far less in common with her character than viewers may think. The 43-year-old made her way down the red carpet this week celebrating the premiere of the much-anticipated film Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, releasing in cinemas tomorrow, September 12. She was joined by her husband, Jasper Waller-Bridge, as she revealed her pregnancy glow and baby bump.

Just like Mary, the English actress has endured her fair share of heartbreaking moments, including the death of her fiancé. She tragically lost her partner, John Dineen, to cancer at just 34 years old, similar to the way in which Lady Mary was left widowed following her husband’s fatal car accident.

Although their similarities seem to end there, as Michelle’s down-to-earth beginnings don’t quite mirror those of the earl’s daughter. She insists, unlike her character, that she is anything but “posh” and proves so with her working-class roles before her life on screen.

In fact, she shared with The Sun that one of her favourite jobs was working in a fish and chip shop. Michelle said: “I was the ­waitress there for two years.

“It had a restaurant and a front with a counter. It was owned by an Italian couple. It was fish and chips, pie and mash and Italian food.

“I worked there for a couple of years when I was a teenager, two or three nights a week, while I was doing my GCSEs and A-levels — and I loved it.” This job dates back to her modest upbringing in East London, when she lived in Romford with her parents.

Michelle was raised by her mother, Loraine, who worked as a care assistant, and her father, Michael, a lorry driver. Her voice has developed over the years, but according to her, it was once a “strong Essex” accent.

She said: “I’m not like Lady Mary at all. For one thing, I’m not actually posh. I had a very strong Essex accent when I was younger, and I don’t think I would have got the role of Lady Mary if I’d walked into the audition going, ‘Allo, nice ter meet yer’.”

Michelle was 26 years old when she finally got her big break in the TV series, and by the time it reached its sixth series, she was a Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress. Although, she was quick to admit, she didn’t understand the full scope of what this actually meant. 

She recalled: “The first time the show was nominated for the Emmys, I was like, ‘What’s an Emmy?’ It was so new to me.” The award-winning actress will be starring in the very role that saw her breakthrough in the grand finale film this week.

This will be the final film in the Downton Abbey trilogy, in what she calls “the perfect goodbye”, with Maggie Smith also starring in her final role before her death in September 2024. In an interview with Collider Interviews, she says: “It’s a beautiful film, and for us it was such a treat to come back together.

“It’s a real tribute to Maggie. This time around we relished every minute. It being the last, it felt really special. Like anything, when something comes to an end, it’s emotional but such a happy place to be.”