Happy Valley hunk James Norton, 39, secretly dating stunning British model, 25

HAPPY Valley villain James Norton is growing close to Prada model Charlotte Rose Smith — a year after his split from actress Imogen Poots.

James, 39, and Charlotte, 25, were all smiles as they went public with a day out in North London.

A source said: “They have been enjoying dates and seem very happy together.

“It has been a year since his relationship with Imogen ended and he appears to get on so well with Charlotte. They make a lovely couple.”

James won rave reviews and a Bafta nomination for his performance as killer Tommy Lee Royce in three seasons of Happy Valley.

He joked after the success of the first series: “Eight million people are currently wishing me dead.”

As well as Prada, Charlotte has modelled for brands including Bulgari and Coach.

She is also a budding artist and last October put on her third solo exhibition, The Shakespeare Tobacco Company.

Her pieces — including a print of a Marlboro cigarette packet with the words “I came, I saw, and I f***ing conquered — sell for upwards of £900.

Charlotte is James’s first public romance since he and Outer Range actress Imogen, 35, ended their six-year romance.

The pair met in 2017 while appearing in an adaptation of War and Peace and got engaged in February 2022.

James and Imogen, 35, parted late last year but the split was only made public in February.

Opening up about their break up, James said recently: “Some of the choices recently weren’t mine, yet I don’t feel begrudging.

“I just mean that you have a certain amount of control over your life and choices you make, and at other times you don’t.”