Lisa Dillon shared that she felt 'betrayed' by Patrick Stewart's memoir, which described their five-year romance as a short-lived affair. Her story has resurfaced after the actor's death.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GooglePatrick Stewart's love life has returned to the spotlight after his death at the age of 86. The Star Trek and X-Men star's marriage to his 38-year-younger wife, Sunny Ozell, has remained a hot topic in recent years, but the actor's affair with an even younger actress made waves after Stewart's second marriage fell apart.
Stewart began dating British actress Lisa Dillon in 2003, while he was still married to his second wife, Wendy Neuss. Years later, the actor explicitly admitted to his infidelity in his memoir, Making It So, but his revelations left Dillon feeling deeply hurt and betrayed.
Stewart and Dillon met while working together on Henrik Ibsen's play The Master Builder. The X-Men star was 62 at the time, while Dillon was 23 and had recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Their unusual chemistry heated up while co-starring in the sexually charged London stage production in 2003.
At the time, Stewart was married to television producer Wendy Neuss, who was 14 years his junior. He had previously been unfaithful to his first wife of 24 years, Sheila Falconer, with Neuss, and later cheated on Neuss with Dillon. In Making It So: A Memoir, Stewart described his relationship with Dillon as relatively short-lived and reflected on the end of his second marriage with regret. He wrote, "And so, another divorce. I felt stupid and responsible. I had cheated on my wife with a younger woman - again."
Stewart and Dillon went on to live together in London and remained romantically involved until their breakup in 2007. Although their relationship ended, Dillon believed they had maintained a lasting friendship for years afterward.
In his memoir, Patrick compared the relationship to his earlier affair with actress Jennifer Hetrick. He wrote that his time with Dillon would also be relatively short. He wrote, "And just like my affair with Jenny Hetrick, my time with Lisa Dillon would also prove to be relatively short. In a life chockablock with joy and success, my two failed marriages are my greatest regret."
Dillon was particularly upset by the suggestion that their romance may have developed because of the emotions involved in performing together. In the memoir, Stewart recalled being warned that repeatedly saying 'I love you' to a co-star could lead an actor to believe those feelings were real.
Speaking to The Times, Dillon said Stewart's account made their nearly five-year relationship sound like little more than a "silly affair." She said, "The impression he gives is that our relationship was very fleeting- that I was a silly affair that broke up a marriage - and he got caught out. But it's not just about our nearly five years together - this is the most enduring friendship of my life. Or it was."
The British actress also said she had felt loved during their time together. She recalled Stewart relocating from Los Angeles to England and starting to live together almost immediately. Dillon shared, "[Stewart] relocated his life from Los Angeles to be with me in England, and we lived together almost immediately. Everybody had to be in the know because we were going to live this mature, loving life together. And I felt very loved by him."
After almost two decades since they dated, Lisa shared that she always felt she had the "most enduring friendship" with Stewart even after the split, but after his memoir, she started doubting their 39-year age gap. She wondered what a then-62-year-old man found attractive about a 23-year-old her.
The actress said she heard from Patrick Stewart's lawyers after contacting him about the memoir. She said he owed her some loyalty, as she has "spent 20 years fielding put-down remarks about" their relationship. She added, "And then the very man that had the opportunity to cancel that has only added to it. For him not to write anything honorable about our time together is shameful. He has diminished me, both professionally and personally, editing me out of parts of his life."
Despite the renewed attention surrounding her past relationship with Stewart, Dillon has continued to build her career as an actress across television, film, theatre and audio productions. Still based in London, she remains active in the British entertainment industry.
In 2025, Dillon appeared in the ITVX drama The Hack, playing 'Clare Rewcastle Brown'. She also featured as 'Princess Arthur of Connaught' inDownton Abbey: The Grand Finale. In early 2026, she appeared in a production of Dance of Death at the Orange Tree Theatre. She has also reportedly expanded into production, serving as an executive producer on the 2026 project Tunnel Vision.
As of now, Dillon has not publicly reacted to Patrick Stewart's passing.
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