1 week Ago
French actress who healed Martin Freeman's broken heart: Rachel Benaissa, 30, has quietly become a rock for actor, 53, since his split from Amanda Abbingdon - and her touching bond with his two children Have YOU got a story? Email [email protected] By LILY JOBSON FOR MAILONLINE Published: 12:13 BST, 7 April 2025 | Updated: 12:14 BST, 7 April 2025 e-mail View comments When Martin Freeman and ex-wife Amanda Abbington split after 16 years together in 2016, both were left heartbroken. Amanda, 51, previously told how she was a 'mess' following their breakup in 2016 after she and Martin, 53, just couldn't live with each other anymore by the end of their 16-year marriage.
While it's unclear when Martin found love again with French actress Rachel Benaissa, who also goes by Rachel Mariam, the couple were first spotted together in 2020 and she appears to have formed a strong bond with his children Joe, 18, and Grace, 16, together. Martin went public with his romance witht he Toulouse-born actress in 2021 but the pair are fierecelt private about their relationship. However, Rachel is happy to play the supportive partner and she's often by Martin's side on the red carpet to promote his film and TV projects - including their outing on Sunday at the Olivier Awards .
But a video shared to TikTok by Martin's daughter Grace shows that Rachel is firmly part of the family, dancing along to She's The Brightest Star from Martin's festive hit film Nativity with Joe and the family dachshunds. Martin Freeman's, 53, French actress girlfriend Rachel Benaissa, 30, healed the actor's broken heart - despite their 23-year age gap - after his split from ex wife Amanda Abbington, 51 Amanda previously told how she was a 'mess' following their breakup in 2016 after she and Martin just couldn't live with each other anymore (pictured together in 2010) A video shared to TikTok by Martin's daughter Grace shows that Rachel is firmly part of the family 'Merry christmas from Mr Maddens,' she captioned the clip, referring to her father's character in the hit film. Rachel had a small role as an unnamed teaching assistant in BBC hit Normal People, alongside stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones .
The actress has also starred in Lindsay Lohan ’s Netflix film Irish Wish, and Aisling Bea’s sitcom This Way Up, as well as roles in commercials for Heineken, Santander and Dublin Airport. Her connection to Ireland has most likely arisen from her days training at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dubli, where Colin Farrell, Aidan Turner and Olivia Wilde all honed their craft. In addition to acting, Rachel also writes screenplays and once came runner-up in Outstanding Screenplay’s TV pilot competition.
Her writing is said to 'blend drama with dark humour' and she's currently working on the script for a dark comedy-horror TV series called SELF CARE GIRLIE. They made their first appearance as a couple when they graced the red carpet at the Raindance Film Festival Opening Night gala screening of Best Sellers at The Dorchester. Rachel was seen dancing along to She's The Brightest Star from Martin's festive hit film Nativity with Joe and the family dachshunds.
Rachel and Martin went public with their romance in 2021 but are rarely seen together in public (pictured together in 2024) On Sunday, the couple made headlines as they made a rare public appearance at the glitzy Olivier Awards Rachel is best known for playing a role in BBC hit Normal People, alongside stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones The actress has also starred in Lindsay Lohan’s Netflix film Irish Wish, Aisling Bea’s sitcom This Way Up (pictured in 2024) Read More Martin Freeman, 53, looks loved-up with girlfriend Rachel Benaissa, 30, as the Olivier Awards In March 2023, Amanda candidly revealed that she considered suicide after their difficult split left her 'hating herself'. In an interview with the Full Disclosure podcast , Amanda told how suicide was a 'genuine option' during the dark period of her life, telling how she recently had a similar thought after a row with her daughter. She explained: 'It was breaking up with Martin and then realising I needed to sort myself out because I was a bit of a mess.
I hated myself. 'It was funny because the other day, and I've never told anyone, not even my therapist, I'd had a row with Grace [her daughter] because she couldn't find her uniform and was late for school. 'So in the end I had to drive her to school instead of the bus and I was sitting in the car and I was having a go at her and I was getting nothing back from her because she's a 15-year-old and she's going through all this stuff.
'She's a girl, I'm a mother — rage, anxiety. And I was sat there as I was driving, in my head, and I haven't said this since I started therapy six years ago, 'you could always kill yourself'' 'And that was what my mantra used to be. If you've let people down and upset somebody or if you're not being the best you can or you're a bad mother, or you're not stepping up with your acting, you can always kill yourself.
' Amanda went on to say that the idea of taking her life used to be an 'option' for her in the past, but that she last had the same thought six years ago - around the time of her separation from Martin. The couple were married for 16 years and they share children Joe, 18, and Grace, 16, together (pictured in 2023) Amanda is now in a relationship with former daredevil Jonathan Goodwin, 43. The couple were friends for years before they began dating From loved-up co-stars to split: Martin and Amanda's romance 2000: The pair first met on Channel 4's Men Only TV film 2001: They instantly for each other and got together the following year 2003 - 2007 Went on to appear in several projects together including The Debt and The All Together 2006: Welcomed a son, Joe 2008: Welcomed a daughter, Grace 2010: Martin's career begins to soar again with the role of Dr.
Watkins in Sherlock 2012: He appears as the lead in blockbuster The Hobbit 2013: Amanda declares bankruptcy over a £120,000 tax bill saying it is her 'worst year ever' 2014: She joins Sherlock as Watson's love interest Mary Morstan 2015: Martin hints that the pair have married 2016: Actor reveals split in interview Advertisement She continued: 'That was a genuine option for me, quite a few times in my life. Then I don't have to be this bad person because I don't have to be here any more. 'And I thought about that and I thought, "Oh my God I haven't thought about that in six years".
' Amanda previously revealed that she kept her high-profile break up a secret for six months after she and Martin just couldn't live with each other anymore. Talking to the The Sunday Times magazine she said: '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.
'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 any more.' The pair met on the set of the film Men Only in 2000 and went on to play formidable duo John and Mary Watson. Amanda is now in a relationship with former daredevil Jonathan Goodwin, 43.
The couple were friends for years before they began dating. However they were only together two months before Jonathan became permanently paralysed when he was crushed during a stunt - leaving him in a wheelchair. The escapologist suffered life-changing injuries after he was crushed between two suspended cars while rehearsing a stunt for America's Got Talent : Extreme in 2021.
Jonathan then fell to the ground and hit his head. He was airlifted to hospital where he underwent surgery. The stuntman came away from the accident with fractures to his ribs, legs and shoulders, third-degree burns, internal organ injuries and he also lost his left kidney.
He is now suing America's Got Talent bosses over the stunt that left him in a wheelchair for life. Amanda Abbington Martin Freeman Share or comment on this article: French actress who healed Martin Freeman's broken heart: Rachel Benaissa, 30, has quietly become a rock for actor, 53, since his split from Amanda Abbingdon - and her touching bond with his two children e-mail Add comment Comments 0 Share what you think No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
Add your comment Enter your comment By posting your comment you agree to our house rules . Submit Comment Clear Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. No Yes Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline.
To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook.
Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy ..
