Broadchurch actor, his Downton actress wife and the co-star he’s now left her for...
TELEvISION drama star Amy Nuttall has had plenty of practice staging angry confrontations with on-screen lovers.
But she never imagined having to confront her own husband with evidence of his infidelity, friends of the Downton Abbey actress have said.
The Mail can reveal that heartbroken Ms Nuttall, 40, discovered that Broadchurch actor Andrew Buchan – her husband of 11 years and father of their two daughters – had grown close to his latest costar Leila Farzad late last year on the set of new BBC thriller Better.
Devastated, she decided to confront Buchan, 44, about his relationship with the Oxford-educated actress, 39. After a ‘heartbreaking’ exchange, Buchan left the marital home and moved in with Ms Farzad, much to the astonishment of Ms Nuttall and their friends and family.
In Better, Ms Farzad, who has a daughter, is a corrupt police detective secretly working for a criminal played by Buchan.
Sources close to Ms Nuttall, who was pictured yesterday without her wedding ring, said that she has been supported by her close friend and Downton co-star Joanne Froggatt, who used to live close to her and Buchan in Buckinghamshire.
One friend of Ms Nuttall said yesterday: ‘It has broken Amy, it has been so dreadfully sad to see.
‘She got wind that something was going on so she confronted Andrew about it. It must have been the most difficult thing Amy has ever had to do.
‘Now she is getting used to life without him and it is really hard. Luckily, she has some great friends who are supporting her every step of the way. One is Joanne.’
Ms Nuttall hinted that all was not well this month when she posted a message on Instagram that said: ‘I am not impressed by money, social status or job title, I’m impressed by the way someone treats other human beings.’
Shortly before, she enjoyed a holiday with her two children and a female friend. She shared a photo of the group as well as a snap of her drinking a pornstar martini cocktail, saying it ‘makes life a bit better’.
Buchan became a household name in 2013 playing Mark Latimer in ITv drama Broadchurch.
Former Emmerdale actress Ms Nuttall once said of her relationship with him: ‘When he met my mum he thought it was hysterical. He said, “Oh my God, you laugh like your mum, you’re drinking tea like your mum, you gossip like your mum. That’s how you’re going to be in 20 or 30 years”.’
‘It’s so dreadfully sad to see’