Amanda’s tears
Sherlock star opens up about TV stunt that paralysed fiance
SHERLOCK star Amanda Abbington has broken down in tears on TV while discussing her fiance’s horror fireball stunt that left him paralysed.
Amanda, 48, who is best known for playing Dr Watson’s wife Mary in the BBC series, told how she is closer than ever with Jonathan Goodwin, 42, since the accident.
She recalled the harrowing experience after the escapologist nearly died twice following the ordeal.
Jonathan, who rose to fame on the 2019 series of Britain’s Got Talent, had been performing a stunt for the US version in October 2021 when disaster struck.
He was hanging upside down by his feet between two swinging cars 30 feet in the air when they collided and he was crushed between them as they caught fire, before falling head-first to the ground.
GNARLY
He spent four months in hospital and is now wheelchair-bound.
Recalling the life-changing moment on Lorraine on ITV yesterday, Amanda became hugely tearful as she revealed she almost lost the “love of her life”.
She said: “He fell 30 feet and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs. Thirddegree burns, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord, and nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again.”
Jonathan added: “I’m not down about it. I’m doing as well as I can be. It was pretty gnarly. It sounds very dramatic sitting here, but I nearly died.
“I saved my life because I fell upside down, head first to the ground, but I didn’t hit my head.”
In an emotional appearance, Jonathan revealed he had told Amanda that he would understand if she wanted to walk away from the relationship after his accident.
We are going to be the people who say, ‘Yes’... life’s too short
AMANDA ABBINGTON ON COUPLE’S FRESH OUTLOOK
MINDFUL
On in his first TV interview since the stunt went wrong, he told Lorraine Kelly: “I did say, ‘You have a get out of jail free card – if you want to walk away, then I completely understand’ and she told me not to be so stupid and that was that.”
Amanda, who has two children with Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman, added: “We are closer and tighter than ever, I think – every day is a joy, it’s just fun. We have the best time. We just have this unspoken thing.
“We said the other day that we are going to be the people that say ‘Yes’ [to everything]… because life’s too short.
“That’s what I’ve realised through all of this. Just be in the moment.”
The couple are set to wed this summer.