Martin Freeman has made a rare remark about his family life on The Jonathan Ross Show. The Sherlock star shares two children, Joe and Grace, with ex-partner Amanda Abbington
Actor Martin Freeman has given a rare glimpse into his family life during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show. In the latest episode of the show, which is set to air on April 12, Martin shared a sweet anecdote about how he visited a Sherlock-themed escape room with his family.
However, despite starring in the BBC series Sherlock, the escape room didn’t prove to be smooth sailing. “It did take us a while. I went with my other half and my two kids… it wasn’t even a Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes, it was [the BBC one]. I’m aware it did feel a little bit maybe t***ish to go to my own thing… but my kids said it was going to be fun. It is a really good one…,” Martin, 53, said.
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan then asked why he even attended the escape room in the first palace. “My voice is in it… I hadn’t seen or heard myself enough in that week, so I thought… and I wasn’t stuck, I just wanted to stay in there longer,” the Love Actually star jokingly replied.
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Away from our screens, Martin is in a relationship with French actress Rachel Benaissa, 30. The pair, who went public with their romance in 2021 at the Raindance Film Festival Opening Night gala screening of Best Sellers, tend to keep their relationship away from the spotlight, though are occasionally seen on red carpets together.
Earlier this month the duo put on a loved-up display at the Olivier Awards in London and were all smiles while they posed for pictures together. For the star-studded event, Martin sported a fetching red and black patterned blazer while Rachel stunned in a cream two-piece co-ord.
Prior to finding love with Rachel, who is 23 years his junior, The Office star was in a 16-year relationship with Amanda Abbington. The pair met in 2000 and started a life together in Hertfordshire and welcomed two children, Joe and Grace, into the world.
Sadly they called time on their romance in 2016, with Martin sharing the news of his break-up with Amanda during an interview with the Financial Times. “I’m not with Amanda anymore. It’s very, very amicable — I’ll always love Amanda,” he said.
Meanwhile, Amanda previously revealed that “nobody knew” about their split at first. “When we broke up nobody knew, we didn’t tell anybody except for a few key people because they had to know, because of the logistics of hotels and stuff.
“It took six months for it to get out and a lot of that was while we were working on Sherlock… We were professional and we were going to get on and make a show and be civil to each other,” she told The Sunday Times Magazine, reports Metro.
She added: “We still get on really well, we still really both admire each other as actors… he’s a great guy, but we just couldn’t live with each other anymore.”
The couple continue to co-parent their children, with Martin showing off his silly side during Christmas 2024 as he danced with his kids for a TikTok video. Martin’s daughter, Grace, 16, filmed the clip which showed Martin lip-synching to the song Brightest Star from his hit Christmas film, Nativity! as he sat on the sofa while stroking one of his dachshunds.
Despite going their separate ways, it appears that Martin and Amanda still share a close bond. Back in 2024, Amanda, who is engaged to Jonathan Goodwin, revealed her plan to tie the knot next year at a friend’s UK-based farm and was quizzed on Martin’s role in the day.
When asked if Martin would attend the big day, she told 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.”
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