The mystery man seen enjoying a dip with actress Anna Friel on the sun-kissed French Riviera is a rugby-loving City high flier, MailOnline can reveal.
John Hughes was photographed emerging from the sea in swim shorts as the Marcella star relaxed on a shingle beach in the exclusive enclave of St Jean Cap Ferrat.
The pair met last year when he was asked to look after her at a charity event held by top London-based broker TP ICAP, of which he is Chief of Staff and head of corporate affairs.
The mystery man seen enjoying a dip with actress Anna Friel on the sun-kissed French Riviera is a rugby-loving City high flier, MailOnline can reveal. Anna looked relaxed as she lounged on the beach and enjoyed a dip in the ocean with Jonny Hughes
John Hughes was photographed emerging from the sea in swim shorts as the Marcella star relaxed on a shingle beach in the exclusive enclave of St Jean Cap Ferrat
The pair met last year when he was asked to look after her at a charity event held by top London-based broker TP Icap, of which he is Chief of Staff and head of corporate affairs
Mr Hughes, 45, is originally from Dublin, where he studied at St Columba’s College before moving to the UK in 2001 to work for Deutsche Bank
Mr Hughes, 45, is originally from Dublin, where he studied at St Columba’s College before moving to the UK in 2001 to work for Deutsche Bank.
A father-of-three, he has since worked for Merrill Lynch and Bank of America and lives in a £1.2 million home in Fulham, South West London.
A friend of his told MailOnline: ‘John is the Chief of Staff at TP Icap and he met Anna Friel at one of their celebrity charity events last year.
‘He looked after her on the day and they’ve remained in touch ever since.
‘He is a sporty-type, loves rugby – particularly the Ireland team. He has travelled around the world extensively.’
A spokesman for Ms Friel told MailOnline today that Mr Hughes was one of eight friends that the actress has travelled to the south of France with to enjoy the sun.
He said: ‘They are nothing more than friends, in fact she laughed when I mentioned that she and John had been photographed on the beach together. There were only about six people on that beach that day.
‘Anna is out there with seven other friends and while they all went out together today, they’re not always all in one group and do tend to break off and do their own thing.’
A spokesman for Ms Friel told MailOnline today that Mr Hughes was one of eight friends that the actress has travelled to the south of France with to enjoy the sun
Gorgeous: The former Brookside star turned big screen actress showed off her amazing physique in her low-cut swimwear
Ms Friel, 43, hit the Paloma restaurant and beach club on Tuesday in a white swimsuit, looking relaxed as she lounged on the beach and enjoyed a dip in the ocean with Mr Hughes (above)
Ms Friel, 43, hit the Paloma restaurant and beach club on Tuesday in a white swimsuit, looking relaxed as she lounged on the beach and enjoyed a dip in the ocean with Mr Hughes.
She has kept her romantic life under wraps in recent years, and was most recently linked with divorced Regimental Corporal Major Mark Jaworski, who has previously served alongside Princes William and Harry, in early 2019.
The pair began dating in 2018 after meeting at a charity dinner in Windsor, where RCM Jaworski served with the Life Guards Regiment of the Household Cavalry at Combermere Barracks, while William and Harry were members of its Blues and Royals section.
Anna was previously married for nine years to Harry Potter actor David Thewlis, with whom she has a 14-year-old daughter Gracie, and later dated Notting Hill star Rhys Ifans.
She has also dated singers Darren Day and Robbie Williams and owns a Georgian townhouse near Windsor Great Park in Berkshire.
She has kept her romantic life under wraps in recent years, and was most recently linked with divorced Regimental Corporal Major Mark Jaworski, who has previously served alongside Princes William and Harry, in early 2019
Anna was previously married for nine years to Harry Potter actor David Thewlis, with whom she has a 14-year-old daughter Gracie, and later dated Notting Hill star Rhys Ifans
Ms Friel has a number of projects in the pipeline, with romantic drama Charming the Hearts of Men co-starring Sean Astin and Kelsey Grammer pencilled in for a September release date.
She is also due to start filming her lead role in Margery Booth: The Spy in the Eagle’s Nest, playing the little-known but remarkable English opera singer Booth, a spy who performed for Hitler and British POWs. Her co-stars included Stephen Fry.
On the small screen, Ms Friel has found huge success with her drama Marcella, which returned to Netflix for a third season in June.