Sherlock star Martin Freeman reveals he has split from the mother of his children Amanda Abbington
SHERLOCK star Martin Freeman has split from on-screen wife Amanda Abbington.
The couple had been together since 2001 and have two children but separated earlier this year.
Martin, 45, who plays detective Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick Dr Watson on TV, .
He said: “I’m not with Amanda any more. It’s very, very amicable. I’ll always love Amanda.”
Asked whether his hectic career schedule was to blame, he said: “To a certain extent, yes. Not as much as it might have, and not as much as maybe I’d have hoped it had.”
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Amanda, 42, said last night: “Martin and I remain best friends and love each other. We just said we couldn’t live together anymore.”
She said Martin’s time filming abroad in the Hobbit trilogy and the US TV series Fargo had been “one of the reasons” for the split.
Martin met Amanda, 42, who plays his wife in Sherlock, on the set of the film Men Only in 2000.
They went on to have son Joe, ten, and daughter Grace, eight — although it is not thought they ever married.
His admission comes as the pair are set to return in the BBC crime drama Sherlock, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes.
Fans will also see a new addition to the cast as Watson and Amanda’s character Mary welcome a daughter.
Martin first hit fame as Tim Canterbury in Ricky Gervais’ comedy The Office. He broke into Hollywood and is now worth an estimated £10million.
In 2013 Amanda declared herself bankrupt in the High Court after getting a £120,000 tax bill. She later played down the problem, insisting: “It was just me not managing my finances properly. It will be annulled in a couple of months. I never wanted to avoid my taxes.”
Martin is also known for his strong political views, and has been an outspoken Labour supporter. At the 2015 General Election he appeared in a party political broadcast for Ed Miliband’s campaign.
He urged voters to back Labour’s plan for working families, but was accused of hypocrisy over news he sent his son to a posh private school.