Martin Freeman's 'very amicable' split from Amanda Abbington after romance (2025)

Actor Martin Freeman has previously spoken about his split from Amanda Abbington, after the pair were in a relationship for over a decade and had two children together.

Former couple Amanda Abbington and Martin Freeman, who had been together for more than ten years before their split, have occasionally discussed their past relationship since going their separate ways. The pair, sharing two children, are known to co-parent harmoniously.

Amanda and Martin, both 53, were an item from 2000 up until 2016, having met on the set of the film Men Only, which was released in 2001. Over the years, they have collaborated professionally, including their involvement in the BBC's Sherlock, and now jointly raise their son Joe, 18, and daughter Grace, 16.

The duo has been back in the spotlight following Martin stepping out with his new partner Rachel Benaissa, 30, at the Olivier Awards last week, sparking fresh interest in their previous union. The Mirror recently reflected on remarks made by both Martin and Amanda about their time together.

They have each expressed that they've kept up a friendly rapport post-split, with Martin stating that he "will always love Amanda".

In a candid chat with the Sunday Telegraph back in 2016, Amanda hinted that the separation was partly due to the long periods spent apart while Martin was filming the Hobbit movie series. She considered these absences as "one of the reasons" behind their romantic relationship coming to an end.

She did, however, tell the media at that time that they remained "best friends" and still "love each other," describing their parting as "entirely amicable".

Amanda shared: "There was no hostility, really, we just said that we couldn't live together anymore, so we put everything in place, he moved out to a flat in north London, I stayed at home and we've started a new chapter."

Amanda went on to say: "It is sad and it is upsetting, because you think you're going to be with someone forever, but you either do that or you break up, and we both came to the conclusion that splitting was best for us.

"We've been incredibly fortunate to have such a clean break, especially for the kids."

In a piece also released in December of the same year, Martin himself told the Financial Times that their separation was "very amicable". He remarked at the time: "I'm not with Amanda any more. It's very, very amicable - I'll always love Amanda."

The subsequent year, he informed the Radio Times that they had parted ways "a while ago" and were not a couple during the filming of Sherlock's fourth series in 2016.

Martin commented in that interview: "We're very friendly and it's all lovely and cool."

He further stated: "I mean, we're honest to God [separating] in about as civilised a manner as I've ever heard of, you know."

He continued by commending his former partner Amanda as a "brilliant" actor and individual, concluding with: "I will always love Amanda."

Amanda has recently opened up about maintaining a positive relationship with her former partner. In the previous year, she hinted that Martin might be on the guest list for her impending nuptials to fiancé Jonathan Goodwin, 45, to whom she's been betrothed since 2021.

Queried about whether Martin would be present on her big day, the ex-Strictly Come Dancing star confided to Closer magazine: "I would imagine so. We're still mates, we're still good friends. It's important to maintain a good, healthy relationship with your ex if you have children, I think."