Broadchurch star Andrew Buchan has walked out on his Downton Abbey actress wife Amy Nuttall after falling for his co-star on Beeb thriller ‘Better’.
44-year-old Buchan had left the family home in December and has now moved on with Oxford University-educated Leila, 39 — who is also understood to have been married.
Amy Nuttall discovered her Broadchurch husband Andrew Buchan was cheating — when he bought sexy lingerie that wasn’t her size. The Sun reports.
Friends tell how Amy’s suspicions were first aroused when she discovered the suspicious pre-Christmas purchase.
The actress, 44, turned detective and went on to confront her husband of 11 years over receipts and paper records of hotel stays in London — when she had believed he was working away on set.
‘The penny started to drop over a period of time. He was away a lot, which wasn’t unusual because of the nature of his work, but at one point Amy realised he had been staying in hotels very near to home — and wondered why,’ a source told.
‘As time moved on, there were some tell-tale signs that he had become close to Leila — just something in his mannerisms and in their social media posts together.
The source continued: ‘But the final straw was the lingerie — that’s what clinched it.
‘Amy just knew instinctively that it wasn’t meant for her.’
Buchan who has a son with Amy, is believed to have told his wife their 11-year marriage was over shortly before Christmas – to the astonishment of their friends.
A source close to the pair said: ‘For Andrew to walk away from his family was a huge shock to us all – and Amy is heartbroken.
‘Everyone who knows them thought they were going to be together forever.
‘But he’s packed his bags and left with his new co-star.
Amy Nuttall has been pictured for the first time since it emerged her husband has walked out on her and their two children.
The mother-of-two wrapped up against the cold in a padded navy jacket and swept her hair back in a chunky clip.
She struggled to raise a smile as she ran errands in Buckinghamshire on Tuesday. She struggled to raise a smile as she ran errands in Buckinghamshire on Tuesday.Â
Speaking to DailyMail about the split, Mrs Nuttall fought back tears and confessed: ‘I can’t talk about it. I’m sorry, I can’t say anything.’
Sources close to Ms Nuttall say that she has been supported by her close friend Joanne Froggatt, who used to live close to her and Buchan.
Her friends told DailyMail that the split left the actress ‘crushed’ as she attempts to rebuild her life.
One said: ‘It’s been very hard for Amy. She’s been crying virtually every day since it happened and she’s struggling to cope with things. She can’t even bring herself to talk about it as she’s still trying to make sense of it all.’
