Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell: was her engagement ring stolen - who is husband and when was their wedding?

Emily in Paris star Lily Collins has reportedly had her wedding and engagement bands stolen from storage whilst she visited a spa in West Hollywood. According to the LA county sheriff's department, the suspected theft, which also includes electronics as well as the rings, has been valued at over $10,000 (£7,906). As it stands, no arrests have been made.

Collins married her husband Charlie McDowell on 4 September 2021 after previously announcing their engagement on Instagram in 2020.

So, who is her husband and how did they meet? This is what you need to know.

Who is husband Charlie McDowell?

McDowell is a film director, best known for his 2014 film The One I Love, starring Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss.

Born in Hollywood in July 1983, McDowell is the youngest of two children born to English actor Malcolm McDowell and American actress Mary Steenburgen. His parent divorced in 1991 and his stepfather is Three Men and a Baby actor Ted Danson.

He is no relation to actress Andie MacDowell, but there has been a decade-long running joke between the pair which sees his wishing her a Happy Mothers’ Day every year and wishing her a ‘Happy Birthday, Mum’.

Aside from his directing career, he is also well known for his witty humour on Twitter and was once described by Time as having one of the most hilarious feeds on the platform.

His film credits include directing sci-fi romantic thriller The Discovery (2017), as well as directing episodes of Silicon Valley, Dear White People, Tales from the Loop and Dispatches from Elsewhere.

In 2013, he released a book titled Dear Girls Above Me, based on his tweets.

Who else has he dated?

McDowell was previously in a relationship with actress and animal rights activist Rooney Marra, from 2010 until 2016.

He then dates Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke for a year, from 2018 until their split in early 2019. The couple did not go public with their split, with the only tell-tale sign at the time being that he stopped following her on Instagram.

Later that year, it was reported that he was dating Lily Collins.

How did he meet Lily Collins?

While there is no information as to how they met, Lily did confirm their relationship on Instagram in September 2019.

She shared snaps of the pair in France, where she was filming her Netflix series Emily in Paris.

In September 2020, Collins revealed that he had popped the question - she showed of her stunning square diamond ring in a sequence of photos and videos shared on her social media.

At the time of their engagement, Collins told EXTRA: "I think we’re just, you know, totally soaking in being engaged and still celebrating with people that we can, in a way that is safe. Eight months of being together in quarantine has definitely felt like the most incredible way of getting to know someone."

On 7 September 2020, she shared a sequence of photos of them together - captioning one shot “what started as a fairytale is now my forever reality.”

She also wrote: “I’ve never wanted to be someone’s someone more than I do yours, and now I get to be your wife. On September 4th, 2021 we officially became each other’s forever. I love you beyond @charliemcdowell…⁣”

“Never been happier” a third post read.

The  couple married in Dunton, Colorado.

Was Lily Collins's engagement ring stolen?

According to reports, Collins's diamond engagement ring and wedding band were both stolen whilst she was at a spa in West Hollywood over the weekend. Officials from the Los Angeles Police County Sheriff's Department told TMZ that there had been no sign of forced entry where Collins had left her jewellery. They added that the theft is currently under investigation.

In an interview with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest in December 2021, Collins revealed that she and McDowell designed the diamond ring with jewellery designer Irene Neuwirth.