Martin Freeman has married his long-term partner Rachel Benaissa after six years together. The actor and Benaissa made a rare red carpet appearance at the London Film Festival on Wednesday night (October 14), where they were pictured looking cosy together. A representative for Freeman confirmed to The Sun that the couple had tied the knot.
Relationship timeline
Freeman, 55, began dating Benaissa, 34, in 2020. The actress has appeared in BBC drama Normal People, comedy series This Way Up and Netflix film Irish Wish. The Office star was previously in a 16-year relationship with his Sherlock co-star Amanda Abbington. The pair played John and Mary Watson alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC detective drama, before separating in 2016. Abbington previously said long periods spent apart while filming had contributed to the breakdown of their relationship.
Rare public appearance
Freeman attended the "A Long Winter" Gala during the 70th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall. Abbington has since become engaged to escapologist Jonathan Goodwin, 43, who uses a wheelchair after a stunt went wrong while filming America's Got Talent: Extreme in 2021. Freeman has largely kept his relationship with Benaissa out of the spotlight, but offered a rare insight into their life together during an appearance on Jessie and Lennie Ware's Table Manners podcast last year.
Career highlights
Speaking about Benaissa's love of food and wine, he said: "She's not a Cordon Bleu… she's a massive cheese and wine w****." He added: "That's what she would say about herself." Freeman continued: "She says that about herself, 'I'm a cheese and wine w****'. It's not all she is, but no, she loves all that stuff. We like cooking." Freeman went on to play Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy and Mr Poppy in the Christmas comedy Nativity!. His other screen credits include the Marvel film Black Panther, crime drama The Responder and the dark comedy Breeders, in which he also served as an executive producer. Freeman has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including a BAFTA for his performance in Sherlock and an International Emmy for The Eichmann Show.
