Amanda Abbington details ‘incredibly hard’ break-up with Martin Freeman

Actress Amanda Abbington struggled through the aftermath of her “incredibly hard” split from her longtime partner Martin Freeman.
The couple, which had been together for 16 years and shares two children, announced its separation in December, 2016, and in a new interview with Red magazine, the 44-year-old reveals the days following the break-up were really tough.
“I had thought Martin was the love of my life. This wasn’t meant to happen to us. I would wake every morning with a sudden lurch. ‘Why do I feel sick?’ I’d ask myself, in the darkness of the bedroom I no longer shared with my partner,” she confessed. “And then, a split-second later, I’d remember what had happened. ‘Oh,’ I thought, as the tears started to fall. ‘That’s why’.”
Amanda credits her children with helping her get through the rough times, and admits she and The Hobbit star had been “papering over” the cracks in their relationship for a long time.
“I had to keep things together for the sake of our children, Joe and Gracie, who were then 10 and eight,” she explained. “They needed to be looked after. I had to wake them up and make them breakfast and take them to school and, in a way, the normality of that routine kept me going. It got me up in the mornings.”
“We realised we had been papering over the cracks for a long time. The break-up was incredibly hard, but it taught me so much about myself because I was forced to confront my worst fears,” Amanda added.
She continued: “We still love each other – even if we’re not in love with each other – and neither of us sees our relationship as a failure. We had 16 great years together and have two fantastic kids. We still talk and we still give each other advice.”
Reflecting on the split, she realises now she’s in a much better place.
“If I had to describe myself now, I’d say I am happier, lighter, more energetic, more open, more confident and less frightened of life,” she said. “I have love in my life that I’m careful to protect and nurture and I feel more myself than ever.”