Martin Freeman secretly marries younger girlfriend Rachel Benaissa
The Sherlock and The Hobbit actor has quietly exchanged vows with his French actress partner, confirming their marriage after appearing together at the London Film Festival – a decade after his separation from former partner Amanda Abbington.
Martin Freeman has secretly married his long-term partner Rachel Benaissa after six years together, with the couple quietly revealing their wedding rings during a rare public appearance at the London Film Festival.
The 55-year-old actor, best known for playing Tim Canterbury in The Office, Dr John Watson in Sherlock and Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy, is said to have got hitched to French writer and actress Rachel, 34, earlier this year.
The Sun declared their marriage became public after they attended the London Film Festival together on Wednesday (14.10.26) evening, where Martin was promoting his new film A Long Winter alongside fellow cast members Fred Hechinger, 26, and Caitríona Balfe, 47.
And a spokesperson for Martin confirmed the marriage to The Sun following the couple's appearance at the event.
Rachel was photographed wearing a large emerald engagement ring, flanked by two diamonds on a gold band, while posing alongside her husband.
Martin was also seen wearing a gold wedding band as he attended the premiere and joined his co-stars for photographs.
The couple have generally kept their relationship away from public attention since they began dating in 2020, making relatively few appearances together at entertainment industry events.
Rachel has appeared in several television and film productions, including the acclaimed BBC and Hulu drama Normal People, the comedy series This Way Up and the Netflix romantic comedy Irish Wish.
Martin's latest film, A Long Winter, also features Fred, known for his appearances in The White Lotus and Gladiator II, and Caitríona, who plays Claire Fraser in the historical drama Outlander.
The actor's marriage comes a decade after the breakdown of his long-term relationship with actress Amanda Abbington, 52.
Martin and Amanda were together for 16 years before separating in 2016, having established themselves as one of British television's best-known acting couples.
They appeared together in the BBC detective drama Sherlock, in which Martin portrayed John Watson and Amanda played his wife, Mary Watson.
The series starred Benedict Cumberbatch, 50, as Sherlock Holmes and became an international success following its launch in 2010.
Martin and Amanda share two children, son Joe, 20, and daughter Grace, 18.
Amanda has previously attributed the breakdown of their relationship partly to the amount of time they spent apart while working on different productions.
Despite their separation, the former couple have maintained a relationship centred on raising their children.
In 2024, Amanda spoke publicly about Martin's support during her dispute with Strictly Come Dancing following her departure from the BBC competition.
Amanda had raised concerns about the behaviour of her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 36, during rehearsals.
Amanda has since become engaged to escapologist Jonathan Goodwin, 46, who sustained life-changing injuries during a stunt for America's Got Talent: Extreme in 2021.
Jonathan uses a wheelchair following the accident, which occurred while he was rehearsing an elaborate escape performance.
Martin, meanwhile, has rarely discussed his relationship with Rachel in interviews, although he offered an insight into their domestic life during an appearance on Table Manners, the food podcast hosted by Jessie Ware, 41, and her mother Lennie Ware.
Speaking about Rachel's enthusiasm for food and wine, Martin joked: “She's not a Cordon Bleu… she's a massive cheese and wine w****.”
He added: “That's what she would say about herself.”
The actor 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.”
Martin's career has spanned television, cinema and theatre, beginning with his breakthrough role as the quietly frustrated salesman Tim Canterbury in Ricky Gervais's BBC comedy The Office.
He later appeared as Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and played a memorable supporting role in the romantic comedy Love Actually.
His international profile grew considerably through Sherlock, in which his portrayal of John Watson earned him a Bafta television award.
He subsequently starred as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of The Hobbit, appearing in An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies.
Martin also appeared in the Marvel film Black Panther and its sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, playing CIA agent Everett Ross.
His more recent television work includes the BBC drama The Responder, in which he portrayed troubled Liverpool police officer Chris Carson, and the comedy-drama Breeders, which explored the pressures of parenting and family life.
In The Responder, Martin adopted a Liverpool accent for his portrayal of the police officer, earning critical recognition for his performance.
He also starred in the first season of Fargo, playing insurance salesman Lester Nygaard opposite Billy Bob Thornton, 71, in the acclaimed crime anthology series.
