Amanda Abbington has detailed her whirlwind romance with fiancé Jonathan Goodwin following their “painful” split from ex-husband Martin Freeman.
The 48-year-old actress began dating the 42-year-old America’s Got Talent star following her split from Martin.
Speaking to The Times about their breakup, Amanda said, “Breaking up from him at the time was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Candid: Amanda Abbington has detailed her whirlwind romance with fiancé Jonathan Goodwin following her “painful” split from ex-husband Martin Freeman
She then recalled how she started giving Jonathan her number in the summer of 2021, which “opened the floodgates.”
She said: “We talked six hours a day for eight weeks and then finally met in August 2021 in Vienna, where I was working. After half an hour he proposed and I said yes.”
Amanda added, “I had found my soulmate. I was living in a Richard Curtis fairy tale.’
Shortly after their engagement, however, Jonathan was left paralyzed by the stunt that went horribly wrong, in which he was crushed by two burning cars.
Split: Speaking to The Times about her split, Amanda said: “By the time, breaking up with him was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Jonathan was left paralyzed for life in a tragic accident in October 2021 after attempting a stunt attempting to escape from a straitjacket while hanging upside down 30 feet in the air.
Speaking about the horrific time, Amanda said she “didn’t think about the stunt” initially and shared how she got the news.
She said: ‘[The stunt] was dangerous, but I knew Jonathan was a perfectionist, so I didn’t give it much thought.
Whirlwind romance: She then recalled how she started giving Jonathan her number in the summer of 2021, which “opened the floodgates”.
“When I woke up the next morning, there was a voicemail from his stunt coordinator: ‘Jonathan was in an accident. That’s not good news.”
“Then it all became a crazy whirlwind; to find out what happened, to fly his family there.’
She then explained the severity of the accident, sharing that he fell and lost a kidney, fractured both shoulder blades, shattered both legs, fractured his spine and severed his spinal cord.
Amanda continued, “We ended up talking on the phone. He called to say he had surgery and there was a good chance he wouldn’t make it.
Tragic: Jonathan was left paralyzed for life in a tragic accident in October 2021 after performing a stunt attempting to escape from a straitjacket while hanging upside down 30 feet in the air
“He told me he loved me and I really thought that was the last time I heard his voice.”
Now, over a year after his accident, Amanda has revealed that her fiancé Jonathan is “going from strength to strength”.
She gushed that she loves her “independent and strong” future husband so much that she “forgets he’s in a wheelchair.”
Speaking about Lorraine this week to promote her new comedy series The Family Pile, Amanda revealed that she and Jonathan are still planning on getting married this summer.
She gushed about her boyfriend, adding: “He’s amazing, he makes me smile. I love him more than anything, he keeps getting stronger.
Smitten: Speaking about Lorraine this week to promote her new comedy series The Family Pile, Amanda revealed that she and Jonathan are still planning on getting married this summer
“I forget he’s in a wheelchair, he’s independent and strong. He really is my hero, I don’t know what I would do without him. He is so supportive and beautiful. Wedding in summer, it happens.’
Previously, the couple announced that they wanted to get married in 2022 but remained coy about the details.
Appearing on Lorraine in May, Jonathan said: “The wedding is later this year, it’s beautiful, we were really looking forward to it beforehand. It’s one of those things where when someone dies, everyone says what a wonderful person they were, but they never get to hear it.
Amanda announced in May 2022 that her partner is now using a wheelchair after suffering a series of serious injuries during rehearsals for America’s Got Talent: Extreme, which has since been cancelled. He was hospitalized with his injuries for four months before being released in February.
During the couple’s first TV appearance together that same month, Jonathan explained that he gave Amanda a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card after his accident, but the star insisted she would always stand by her new fiancé’s side.
When Amanda got emotional, Jonathan said, “I said you have a ticket to get out of jail if you want to go away, I understand, and she told me not to be so stupid.”
Supportive: During the couple’s first TV appearance together that same month, Jonathan explained that he gave Amanda a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card after his accident
Elsewhere in the interview, a tearful Amanda went on to say that as a couple they are “closer and closer” than ever as she gushed that Jonathan is her “inspiration.”
“We’re closer and tighter than ever and we’ve got this unspoken thing, we said the other day that we’re the people who will say yes to things, life is too short, be in the moment and grab it with both hands, because you put it on “I don’t know what’s around the corner,” she said.
“He’s a total inspiration to me. He’s an idiot, I’m a Wally so it’s fine. And all my friends and family love him, he’s very adorable.’
Almost died twice: Jonathan, who has now retired from escapology, documented his four months in hospital recovering from injuries including burns and broken legs