Amanda Abbington opens up on whirlwind romance with 'soulmate' fiancé Jonathan ... trends now

Amanda Abbington has detailed her whirlwind romance with fiancé Jonathan Goodwin after her 'painful' split from ex-husband Martin Freeman.

The actress, 48, started dating the America's Got Talent star, 42, after her split from Martin.

Speaking to The Times about their breakup, Amanda said: 'At the time, splitting up from him was the most painful thing I'd ever experienced.'

She then recalled how she started gave her number to Jonathan in the summer of 2021 which opened 'the floodgates'.

She said: 'We talked for six hours every day for eight weeks and then finally met in Vienna where I was working in August 2021. After half an hour he proposed and I said yes.'

Amanda added: 'I’d found my soulmate. I was living in a Richard Curtis fairytale.' 

However, shortly after their engagement Jonathan was left paralysed from the stunt that went horribly wrong, which saw him crushed by two cars on fire.

Jonathan was paralysed for life in a tragic accident in October 2021, following a stunt where he attempted to escape from a straight jacket while being hung upside down 30 feet in the air. 

Speaking about the horrific time, Amanda said she initially 'didn't think about the stunt' and shared how she received the news.

She said: '[The stunt] was dangerous, but I knew Jonathan was a perfectionist so I didn’t think any more about it. 

'When I woke up the following morning there was a voicemail from his stunt co-ordinator: “Jonathan’s had an accident. It’s not great news.”

'Then it all became a crazy whirlwind; finding out what had happened, flying his family out there.'

She then explained the severity of accident, sharing he had fell and lost a kidney, broken both shoulder blades, shattered both legs, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord.

Amanda continued: 'We did eventually speak on the phone. He called to say he was having an operation and there was a strong chance he might not make it.