Are Anna Wintour and Bill Nighy an Item?

Each year, the Met Gala attracts the world’s most sought-after celebrities to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a night of fundraising, cheek-kissing and deeply meme-able outfits. While the fashion inevitably generates buzz, the gala is also a stage for romantic signaling, helping the public do its most crucial work: keeping track of who’s coupled up and who’s simply alone in a giant white cat suit. At last night’s event, hot duos climbed the Met’s carpeted staircase one after the other, from pregnant Rihanna and beau A$AP Rocky to Britney Griner and wife Cherelle. But one pair outshone the rest — two attendees who are each a minimum of 30 years older than whatever “it” couple is next in line. Yes, Anna Wintour and Bill Nighy instantly stole the show when they appeared arm-in-arm at the festivities.

As editor-in-chief of Vogue, Wintour has been masterminding the glitzy New York event as its chair since 1995. This year’s theme paid homage to her late friend, German designer and industry titan Karl Lagerfeld. Vogue encouraged guests to find inspiration in the archives of labels that Lagerfeld once led, like Balmain, Patou, Chloé, Fendi or Chanel. Some interpreted the theme differently, like Jared Leto, who resurrected 2019-era “camp” for his mascot-style costume modeled off Lagerfeld’s white cat Choupette. Others, like Wintour, kept it relatively toned-down, letting their accessories — in this case, British actor Nighy — do the talking.

While his rep denied any romance rumors to The Hollywood Reporter, Nighy’s connection with Wintour is well-documented and spans decades, complete with no shortage of snaps of the two sharing decadent meals and cozying up at fashion shows.

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Wintour, the ice queen of fashion, is known to be aloof, cold and tough to impress. She’s one of the most recognizable editors worldwide, with a razor-sharp bob and knee-buckling gaze that could turn any unpaid intern to dust. To win her affection, it would take a true living legend at the height of his career — a man with range, who can star in rom-coms and Oscar-nominated films and is considered England’s “leading male sexpot.” Nighy, coincidentally, is all of these things.

In light of the rumors, some have argued that there’s no better time to spark a new romance than in your 70s, when the pressure of keeping up and settling down are long behind you. A writer for The Independent recently noted how divorce rates for people over 50 have steadily climbed since 1990, placing plenty of singles back on the market just in time for their golden years. At an advanced age, most of life’s big decisions have already been made, and there’s more time to simply enjoy each other’s company (and, if you’re anything like Billanna, enjoy each other’s millions).

Okay, so we don’t yet know if their relationship is more-than-friendly. Still, Wintour had to be enjoying herself enough to forgo her signature sunglasses. Or maybe she just forgot them in the cab on the way over.