Sunday 8 May 2022 05:35 PM BAFTA TV AWARDS 2022: Martin Freeman puts on a smitten display with his ... trends now

Martin Freeman put on a smitten display with his girlfriend Rachel Mariam as they made a rare red carpet appearance at this year's BAFTA TV Awards.

The Hobbit star, 50, and his actress girlfriend, 30, looked as loved-up as ever as they stepped out at London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.

Martin appeared to be in good spirits as he cut a dapper figure in a sleek black tuxedo, which he paired with smart suit shoes.

He shielded his eyes from the bright sunshine with a pair of orange sunglasses, while he sported a thick beard and wore his grey locks in a slicked back style.

French actress Rachel, who had a small part in BBC drama Normal People, looked effortlessly glamorous in a strapped baby pink gown.

She flaunted her incredible physique in the clinging ensemble and gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of black strapped stilettos. 

Rachel, who has been dating Martin for two years, flaunted her natural beauty with a light dusting of make-up at the annual awards ceremony.

The smitten couple recently sparked engagement rumours after it was reported that Martin joined Rachel on a visit to her hometown, Toulouse.

It is Martin's first serious relationship since he split up in 2016 with Amanda Abbington, 48, the mother of his two children, who played his wife in Sherlock.

Amanda is now engaged to America's Got Talent's Jonathan Goodwin, who has recently spoken out about being paralysed for life when a fireball stunt went wrong. 

Jonathan, 42, nearly died in a stunt in October 2021, where he attempted to escape from a straight jacket while being hung upside down 30 feet in the air in between two suspended cars.

The cars were released too early and he was crushed between them as they caught fire. 

The couple, who got engaged weeks before the life-changing accident, appeared on Lorraine earlier this week in their first TV interview since the horrific incident.

Amanda could be seen fighting back the tears as her escapologist partner admitted he told her she had a 'get out of jail free card' and could leave him following his horrific accident.

As Amanda was seen becoming emotional, Jonathan said: 'I said you have a get out of jail free card, if you want to walk away I understand and she told me not to be so stupid.'

Elsewhere in the interview, a tearful Amanda went on to say that they are 'closer and tighter' than ever as a couple as she gushed that Jonathan was her 'inspiration'.

'We are closer and tighter than ever and we have this unspoken thing, we said the other day that we are the people that are gonna say yes to stuff, life's too short, be in the moment and grab it with both hands because you 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 loveable.'

The engaged couple are planning to get married later this year, Jonathan revealed, as he gushed that they were 'very excited' about it but remained coy on the details.

He said: 'The wedding is later this year, its lovely, we were very excited about it beforehand. It's one of those things where if somebody dies, everyone says what a wonderful person he was but they never get to hear it.

'When you nearly die you get the same thing so it's brought me closer to my friends and family.'

Before they started dating, the couple had previously been friends on social media for around 10 years, with Amanda following his content as her son Joe thought his act was 'amazing'.

They connected after Amanda's split with Martin and she had separated from another partner - and when Jonathan had divorced from his wife. It is not clear when they started dating.

Elsewhere, the BAFTA TV Awards recognise and celebrate the very best in television craft and television programmes broadcast in the UK in 2021, with acclaimed programmes from the past 12 months, including It's A Sin and Help leading the nods.

Channel 4 series It's A Sin leads the nominations at the Bafta television awards where it is in the running for 11 gongs.

Landscapers, which starred Olivia Colman, has received seven nominations while Channel 4's acclaimed pandemic-set drama Help, starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham has earned six nods.

Another Stephen Graham led drama Time has also received six nods as has the comedy We Are Lady Parts.

There are five nominations for Sex Education and four for A Very British Scandal

It's A Sin, written and created by Queer As Folk and Doctor Who screenwriter Russell T Davies, tracked a group of gay men and their friends as they navigated the UK's HIV/Aids crisis throughout the 80s and early 90s.

The show's 11 nominations, comprising of five in the craft categories and six in the television awards categories, include nods for Davies in the writer drama category, as well as a leading actor nomination for singer Olly Alexander for his role as Ritchie Tozer.

His co-star Lydia West has been nominated in the leading actress category, alongside Kate Winslet, who starred in HBO/Sky Atlantic's Mare Of Easttown, and marking The Titanic star's first TV performance nomination, although she has previously been nominated for and won film Baftas, and is a previous Britannia Award winner.

Also nominated in the leading actress category are Denise Gough and Emily Watson for ITV's Too Close, alongside Jodie Comer for Channel 4 drama Help, and Niamh

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