Dominic West's wife talks about marriage struggles after Lily James scandal

Catherine FitzGerald opened up about her marriage to Dominic West for the first time since he was pictured kissing Lily James during a romantic trip to Rome.

The 49-year-old landscape artist said she and her husband remain loyal to each other despite the cheating scandal that rocked their relationship last year. She said that like any couple, they too have had their "ups and downs" over the years. But they work through it together.

"But we are totally devoted to each other and to our full, vibrant family life together," FitzGerald said in an interview with The Independent.

She also fondly remembered her romance with West as she said it began as a "love affair" after they met at Trinity College in Dublin. They would "look over Dublin, reading poetry to one another with the mountains in the distance." They had "all the time in the world to explore pubs and back streets and walk the canal." It was a short-lived romance that ended by the end of summer.

"I left him and he has not let me forget it! But I couldn't have settled down with him right then forever. That would not have been a good idea for either of us," FitzGerald recalled.

They then went on their separate ways with West moving to America where he filmed "The Wire" and became a father to daughter Martha with his ex-girlfriend. He rekindled his romance with FitzGerald when he returned to London to spend time with his daughter.

"A mutual friend brought him to meet me. We were both, then, at the right time in our lives. And it was lovely to have that shared history, from earlier days," she shared adding, "There's something about having lived a full life before settling down–I felt I could throw myself into family life and having babies with gusto. And I really went for it, having four in seven years!"

FitzGerald's comments came after James said there is a lot to say about her kissing photo with West. But she refused to share further details as much as Fitgerald remained tight-lipped about her husband's affair in her interview.