Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery has asked for privacy as she grieves the loss of her fiance to a rare form of cancer on Sunday morning.

Dockery, who plays Lady Mary Crawley in the period drama, was at the bedside of fiance John Dineen, an Irish commercial public relations executive, when he passed away earlier this week, People reported.

“The family is very grateful for the support and kindness they have received but would kindly request that they are left to grieve in private,” a statement from Dockery read.

• Downton Abbey fans left reeling after bloody scene
• Downton Abbey season six: what can we expect?
• The Downton Abbey hobby that Queen Elizabeth loves

She cut short the US promotional tour for the final series of Downton Abbey to be with Dineen, 34, at a hospice in Cork, Ireland.

He had been “ill for some time”, according to the Irish Examiner, and was described as “private and softly spoken”.

He and Dockery started dating in 2013, after Downton Abbey co-star Allen Leech introduced them.

In an interview in September 2014, Dockery said: “I have a wonderful man in my life from Ireland. We were introduced by Allen Leech. That’s all you need to know.”

Last week, she appeared on US television, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Watch What Happens Live with some of her cast mates for the promotional tour.