James Norton 'smitten' with Lily Allen as friendship turns to 'nervous' romance

Body language expert Judi James has shared her thoughts on Lily Allen's seemingly romantic date with actor James Norton following her marriage split from David Harbour
Lily Allen looked like she had put her painful split with David Harbour behind her when she was papped with James Norton over the weekend. The Smile singer, 40, was spotted with the Happy Valley actor, 39, at the Lido Festival on London in Saturday where they watched Charli XCX perform.
Mum-of-two Lily, who called it quits with Stranger Things star, David, 50, in December, looked in high spirits as she chatted to James while sporting a black velvet mini skirt, tights, knee-high boots and a white crop top.
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The actor, wearing loose-fitting linen trousers and a multi-coloured t.shirt, seemed relaxed in Lily's company as they both drank non-alcoholic beer, watching the Brat hitmaker perform after reportedly meeting on celebrity dating app Raya - which is where Lily also met David.
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Lily ended her marriage to Stranger Things star husband David in December 2024 after four years together, reportedly following her discovery he had a secret profile on Raya.
Meanwhile, James is said to have split from model girlfriend Charlotte Rose Smith, 26, last month before being spotted back on the star-studded dating site.
Sharing her thoughts on James and Lily, body language expert Judi James has said: "The body language here has got 'First date, might end in just friendship' vibes written all over it, showing stars can get a little coy on the dating circuit, just like normal mortals.
"The picture of the pair walking together is especially cute. It's the moment when a couple or even good friends would hold hands but on a first date the parameters aren't defined, and this can create some awkwardness.
"James and Lily's hands hang in position to reach for a clasp but they both have barriers to help avoid any clumsiness here. Both have pulled their sleeves down over their hands to avoid any touch, suggesting both might have a desire to be non-committal about anything closer at this point."
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Judi adds: "James's other signals suggest a polite and charming appreciation of Lily's company, with some face-watching as she talks, which shows very flattering undivided attention that can often score a second date, plus an appreciative smile that shows he likes her company.
"And Lily seems to like his company, too. Both were seen smiling twin smiles but when looking ahead rather than face-to-face, which is often a hint that a pair are enjoying a date."
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Lily and James are believed to have met on the exclusive dating app Raya. Raya is so exclusive it has been called Illuminati Tinder, Tinder for A-listers, and The SoHo House of dating apps. You need a referral to join and an impressive number of Instagram followers, with only 8% of people applying being accepted, according to reports.
After meeting on the app and getting married five years ago, Lily and David have called it a day, with the singer revealing she went to a treatment centre earlier this year in order to process the breakdown of her marriage.
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In March, Lily opened up about the split for the first time during a live recording of her podcast at the Hackney Empire in London. She told the crowd: "I am not over it. I am sort of running away. Maybe I will have a nervous breakdown.'
Meanwhile, David recently talked about his personal life as he said he had let himself go "physically and emotionally." It came just hours after he confirmed their split after ditching his wedding ring on the red carpet at the premiere for the Marvel movie, Thunderbolts. David said: "I can go to these dark places."
When prompted directly about his split from Lily, David gave a two-word response. "Oh boy," he commented. But he later opened up about his reasoning for remaining silent.
Speaking to GQ Magazine, he said: "I'm protective of the people and the reality of my life", adding that he didn't see the point in engaging with the interest surrounding the split as it had been based on "hysterical hyperbole."

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