Abigail Cruttenden, known for playing the short-tempered and unhappily married Kate Weedon in ITV's Benidorm, was once married to fellow actor Sean Bean. The couple met while working together on ITV's Sharpe in 1996, where she played Jane Gibbons, the on-screen wife of Sean's character Richard Sharpe.
Cruttenden joined Benidorm in its first series in 2007, appearing at the fictional Solana resort with her on-screen husband Martin, played by Nicholas Burns. She became a firm favourite with viewers before leaving the show in 2009. Her other credits include Jane Eyre, Fresh Meat, Casualty, Citizen Khan and Midsomer Murders, as well as playing Anna in the BBC sitcom Not Going Out from 2014 to 2023.
Marriage to Sean Bean
Abigail and Sean, who has starred in The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and the James Bond series, did not start a romance immediately after meeting. They eventually began dating and married in 1997. A year later, they welcomed a daughter, Evie.
Discussing Sean at the time, Abigail previously said: "When I told people I was going to be working with Sean, they said: 'My God, you're so lucky'." She added: "He has such a huge appeal to women. And I think he is lovely - a very attractive bloke. We are in bed together a few times - even before we get married. Disgraceful, I know. Because you wouldn't expect that from Sharpe."
Sean also shared his experience of their daughter's birth, saying: "I was there when Evie was born. It was a very moving experience, stunning."
Divorce and later marriages
In 2000, Abigail and Sean divorced. Abigail later married Jonathan R. Fraser in 2003, and they have a daughter together. Sean went on to marry Georgina Sutcliffe from 2008 to 2010, and has been married to Ashley Moore since 2017.
Benidorm return rumours
Rumours of a Benidorm return have been circulating for several years. Sherrie Hewson, who played Joyce Temple-Savage, acknowledged that the series would need to "move on" if it returned to television. She said: "I think Derren Litten (writer and creator) would bring in other people, different acts in the Neptune's bar, different singers, and different families. It would be the same kind of thing, but you have to move on, don't you?"
She added: "There are people who couldn't be in it because we've lost people. You'd have to move on and bring in new characters, which is actually quite exciting. Joyce would actually have to vet them all - that would be brilliant." Benidorm is available to watch on ITVX.
