Entertainment

Hugh Bonneville jokes he has had ‘a number of cosmetic procedures’

Viewers had commented on his appearance after an interview on The One Show.
Viewers had commented on his appearance after an interview on The One Show. Viewers had commented on his appearance after an interview on The One Show.

Hugh Bonneville has joked he has been through a string of cosmetic procedures after fans commented on his appearance during a recent TV interview.

The Downton Abbey star, 57, had surprised viewers with his smooth skin during a chat on the BBC’s The One Show to discuss his film To Olivia, in which he plays Roald Dahl.

However, he appeared to confirm this was due to the use of filters on video conferencing tool Zoom, rather than anything more permanent.

Sharing a photograph of himself in front of a green screen, he joked: “STATEMENT: I have recently undergone a number of cosmetic procedures including rhinomicroscopy, breast indecision, cheekoplasty, follicoliopoly, dental undergouging, lipodonction and aura misting.

“Hope that clears things up.”

He added the hashtags “#filtergate” and “#iamnotacat”, which appeared to reference the recent viral video of a lawyer who got stuck on the Zoom kitten filter and told the virtual court: “I’m here live, I’m not a cat.”

Bonneville, who has been volunteering as a marshal at his local vaccination centre, has previously said he hopes filming on a second Downton Abbey film begins this year so the feature can welcome audiences back into cinemas when they reopen.

The actor, who plays the Earl of Grantham in the period drama, said there is “great intent” for a sequel to the 2019 film, but that coronavirus kept getting in the way.