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I honestly didn’t know much about Amanda Abbington before she was cast as Mary, Watson’s love interest and eventual wife, in Sherlock. I knew she was a British actress and Martin Freeman’s real-life partner and that they had been together for years and years. After she was cast, I learned more about her, like she’s worked consistently on British television for decades, and she’s probably even more respected within British-acting-communities than Martin. I also learned that they have two kids together, Joe and Grace. Well, sad news. Just as Martin and Amanda have to promote the new season of Sherlock, they also have to confirm their split. Martin said so in an interview with the Financial Times:

British journalists often treat celebrities as our parents handled vegetables — pressure-cooking them to the point where no texture can possibly remain. But with Freeman, you do hit rawness. Such as when we stumble onto the topic of his Sherlock co-star, Amanda Abbington.

“I’m not with Amanda any more,” he whispers about the partner/possible wife/possible ex-wife who he met in 2001, and with whom he has two children. “It’s very, very amicable — I’ll always love Amanda.” Later, I ask if success has made him happier. “To a certain extent, yes,” he says. “Not as much as it might have done, and not as much as maybe I would have hoped it had.” It comes across as a tender admission.

[From The Financial Times]

While this surprised me, looking back on it… the signs were there, right? Amanda went to the Emmys this year by herself. They looked uncomfortable filming Sherlock together earlier this year. They looked awkward during the premiere event this week. Still, it’s sad. They were together for 15 years! And they were famously unmarried too. I always wondered if that was difficult for them to play on Sherlock, having him propose and having to do the big wedding scene. Like, what if one of them actually did want to get married? Was that why they split? Sad.

Also – Martin’s whole interview with the Financial Times is a good read. He talks a lot about politics (he’s ride-or-die Labour) and what other actors are like (he basically says Ricky Gervais is an a—hole and that he could talk to Billy Bob Thornton for hours).

Photos courtesy of WENN.
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