Martin Freeman opens up about his life off-screen in rare family admission (2025)

The Jonathan Ross Show viewers will see Martin Freeman open up about his life away from the spotlight. The Sherlock star shares two children, Joe and Grace, with ex-partner Amanda Abbington

During a candid chat on The Jonathan Ross Show, actor Martin Freeman opened up about his personal life, sharing an amusing story with viewers. Set to appear in the upcoming episode scheduled for tonight, Martin recounted the time he and his family tackled a Sherlock-themed escape room.

Despite his familiarity with detective roles from his time on the BBC's Sherlock, Freeman confessed that the experience wasn't as smooth sailing as he hoped.

"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...," the celebrated 53 year old actor shared.

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan, also appearing on the show, couldn't resist querying Martin about his decision to participate in the themed escape room, prompting Freeman to respond with wit, "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," he quipped, eliciting chuckles all around.

While Martin generally keeps his private affairs out of the limelight, it's known that he has been involved with French actress Rachel Benaissa, reports the Mirror.

The couple made their relationship public in 2021 during the Raindance Film Festival where they attended the opening night gala screening of Best Sellers.

Though they mostly shun the glare of publicity, they do occasionally grace the red carpet together.

Earlier this month, the pair were seen looking loved-up at the Olivier Awards in London, beaming as they posed for photos together. Martin was dressed in a striking red and black patterned blazer, while Rachel looked stunning in a cream two-piece co-ord.

Before finding love with Rachel, who is 23 years his junior, The Office star had a 16-year relationship with Amanda Abbington. The couple met in 2000, settled down in Hertfordshire and welcomed two children, Joe and Grace.

Unfortunately, they ended their relationship in 2016, with Martin announcing his split from 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 shared.

Amanda, on the other hand, previously disclosed that "nobody knew" about their breakup initially. "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 revealed to The Sunday Times Magazine.

She further 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."

Martin and his ex-partner continue to co-parent their children, with Martin displaying his fun side during Christmas 2024 by dancing with his kids in a TikTok video.

The clip, filmed by his 16 year old daughter Grace, showed Martin lip-syncing to the song 'Brightest Star' from his popular Christmas film, Nativity!, while sitting on the sofa and petting one of his dachshunds.

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Despite parting ways, it seems that Martin and Amanda still have a strong bond.

In 2024, Amanda, who is now engaged to Jonathan Goodwin, shared her plans to get married next year at a friend's farm in the UK, and was asked about Martin's involvement in the wedding.

When questioned if Martin would be present at the wedding, 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."