Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville has issued a warning to his fans on social media after a number of fake accounts have posed as the actor. Taking to his official Instagram platform, the 58-year-old shared a photo with his 149,000 followers showing a list of scam users.
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The actor, who plays Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham in the period franchise, wrote in the caption: "Here are 19 of the current fake Insta accounts active in my name. They're all [expletive] obvs.
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"Unfortunately, @instagram has disabled the Report Message option in some countries, so when the numpty asks for either money or your hand in marriage, please ignore/report the profile itself. Unless you're rich or desperate. Happy Omicron."
Plenty of Hugh's followers flooded the comments to share their outrage, however, others saw the funny side. One person wrote in the replies section: "So we're not getting married tomorrow then? But I'm already waiting at the Savoy."
A second fan quipped: "Does this mean we're NOT getting married?" A third added: "It must be very wearing. Perhaps Paddington could give them his hardest stare..."
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© Photo: InstagramHugh shared this warning on his Instagram page
Another comment read more sympathetically: "Some people are just sad making these accounts. What's even sadder is that some people fall for these scams. Remember the blue tick mark people!"
Meanwhile, Hugh is gearing up for the return of Downton Abbey as the countdown for the second movie in the franchise is officially on.
The second movie's official trailer was released at the end of 2021, which drummed up even more excitement ahead of the film's release into cinemas in March.
The trailer shows the original cast of Downton, including Hugh, Dame Maggie Smith and Michelle Dockery in the one-minute video – with Maggie's character, Violet Crawley, telling her family that she has acquired a villa in the south of France.
The camera then pans to a stunning abode on the French Riviera which will no doubt see the Crawley family travel to the idyllic location and provide a beautiful backdrop to the film.
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