“A lot of people have been like, ‘Are you staying with him?'” Amanda Abbington says she “can’t imagine life” without fiancé Jonathan Goodwin after he became paralyzed during a stunt gone wrong
Amanda Abbington has revealed people she knows have asked her if she would stay with her fiancé Jonathan Goodwin after he became paralyzed.
The actress, 50, and the former daredevil, 42, were friends for years before they met but were together for just two months before Jonathan became permanently paralyzed when he was knocked out during a stunt.
Speaking to The Guardian, Amanda said she couldn’t imagine life without him and how his accident changed her outlook on life.
Open: Amanda Abbington has revealed that people she knows have asked her if she would stay with her fiancé Jonathan Goodwin after he became paralyzed
She said: “It was one of the worst calls. But Jonathan is so strong. He’s a real inspiration. He never complained about it.
“He’s sometimes nostalgic about what he’s done, but at the same time it’s like, ‘Now this is the next chapter of my life.’
“A lot of people I know have asked me, ‘Are you staying with him?’ I said, “Yes, of course.” I can’t imagine life without him. We’re having too much fun. He makes me laugh like no other. None of it felt insurmountable, not even his accident.”
Amanda and America’s Got Talent star Jonathan began chatting on the phone after realizing they were both single following their respective breakups.
Relationship: The actress, 50, and the former daredevil, 42, were friends for years before they met but were together for just two months before Jonathan became permanently paralyzed when he was crushed during a stunt
Amanda said, “A lot of people I know have asked me, ‘Are you staying with him? I said, “Yes, of course.” I can’t imagine life without him.
The actress, who was previously married to Martin Freeman, said they sometimes spoke on the phone for up to seven hours at a time.
Jonathan then asked Amanda to marry him within an hour of their actual meeting in Vienna, Austria.
During the stunt, Jonathan was hung upside down in a straitjacket strapped between two cars 30 feet in the air.
He was badly crushed in the accident, fractured his shoulder blades, severed his spinal cord and shattered both legs while also losing a kidney.
Jonathan nearly died during the accident and again on the operating table.
Shocking: Jonathan was seriously injured after the dangerous stunt in which he attempted to escape from a straitjacket while being suspended upside down 30ft in the air between two hovering cars, which exploded on impact
Stunt: The stunt was filmed at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Jonathan hanging 70 feet in the air
Elsewhere during her interview, Amanda opened up about her split from Martin, saying the former couple “had an amazing 16 years together.”
She added that they broke up due to personal reasons, but had a great time together and have both moved on since.
Amanda previously opened up about the difficulties filming Sherlock with Martin, who she split from in 2016.
The couple played husband and wife on the show but went through a breakup while filming behind the scenes.
Speaking on Desert Island Discs, she said: “We had gone through the breakup months before and kept it very quiet. So that was really difficult.”
Former flame: Elsewhere during her interview, Amanda opened up about her split from Martin, saying the former couple “had an amazing 16 years together” (pictured together in 2013).