'DATING APPS ARE ADDICTIVE'

Lily James tells how using the technology to research her new role as Bumble's founder led her to discover a whole new world

- INTERVIEW: HILARY MORGAN/FEATS PRESS

Her high-profile romances have often been in the spotlight, but Lily James says she had never used a dating app – until recently.

The actress, whose previous boyfriends include the Doctor Who star Matt Smith and the American rocker Michael Shuman, reveals that she signed up – albeit anonymously – to research her latest film role.

In Swiped, she plays the American entrepreneur and Tinder veteran Whitney Wolfe Herd, who founded the female-focused dating app Bumble and became a billionaire at the age of 31.

Here, Lily, 36, who has starred in Downton Abbey, Cinderella and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, tells how she gets into character with the help of perfume and admits that she found dating apps “addictive”.

Lily, what was your experience of dating apps before you signed up for Swiped?