The couple were first pictured together when they were on holiday in Venice , Italy , during the 2013 Venice International Film Festival . The couple made headlines in 2015 , when it was reported that they were engaged , with Dockery showing off a diamond ring to her co-stars during screen tests . But they guarded their privacy closely , with Dockery only briefly referencing , in an interview in 2013 , that she had a " wonderful man in my life from Ireland " . In an interview in November 2015 , she mentioned " I 've got people around me who I can turn to for advice : my mum , and my partner , John . " Dineen died from a rare form of cancer on 13 December 2015 , at age 34 , in Marymount Hospice in Cork , with Dockery at his bedside
2013 Venice International Film Festival
70th Venice International Film Festival
Michelle Dockery