Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville moves into £6,500 a month bachelor pad in Soho

It would fit into one wing of his TV mansion Downton Abbey – but that hasn’t stopped newly separated Hugh Bonneville from splashing out £6,500 a month on a two-bedroom bachelor pad.

The 60-year-old, who played the Earl of Grantham in the ITV drama, separated from Lulu Williams, his wife of 25 years, in September.

Now The Mail on Sunday can reveal he is approaching his new single life in style by moving into a chic Soho apartment which has a terrace and spectacular views across London.

While many might enlist help to furnish their new home, Bonneville seems to be trusting his judgment – he was pictured in the week in creased trousers and an open-necked shirt while collecting a painting near to his loft apartment.

The actor, who also stars in the Paddington bear movie franchise, previously lived with Lulu, 55, and their son Felix, 20, in Midhurst, West Sussex. In interviews he called Lulu his ‘bedrock’, crediting her for being the backbone of their household.

But in September he raised eyebrows by arriving alone and without his wedding ring at his Downton co-star Michelle Dockery’s wedding to producer Jasper Waller-Bridge. His spokesman later confirmed that he and Lulu had separated.

Just five years ago the couple marked their 20th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows in Las Vegas’s Graceland chapel.

Speaking afterwards, Hugh confessed: ‘I thought I would be a bachelor for years.’