Sherlock star Martin Freeman, 55, secretly ties the knot with actress Rachel Benaissa, 32

Congratulations are in order for Martin Freeman, who has tied the knot with his partner, Rachel Benaissa. 

The Sherlock star, 55, and his actress wife, 32, looked super loved up as they appeared together on the red carpet of the BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall in London on Thursday evening. 

French writer Rachel showcased her dazzling engagement ring, which was accompanied by a wedding band. Martin was also pictured wearing a gold band on his wedding ring finger, as he promoted Andrew Haigh's new drama film, A Long Winter.

The Hobbit actor also posed alongside his co-stars Fred Hechinger and Caitríona Balfe at the starry event. The film, which will be released in the UK on January 15, 2027, follows a young man whose life is upended when his mother disappears during a blizzard.

A spokesperson for Martin confirmed the nuptials to The Sun. HELLO! has reached out to Martin's representatives for comment. 

Martin and Rachel's relationship 

It's thought that the couple have been dating since 2020. While the pair often appear together at public events, including at the red carpet premiere of Agatha Christie's Seven Dials in January and the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in July, they mostly keep their personal lives out of the spotlight. 

Like Martin, Rachel is also a star of the screen and has appeared in the hugely popular BBC drama, Normal People, which launched the careers of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones, and Aisling Bea's Channel 4 comedy This Way Up.

In 2023, she featured in the Netflix Christmas movie Irish Wish, starring Lindsay Lohan.

During an appearance on Jessie Ware's Table Manners podcast in 2025, Martin opened up about the couple's shared love of cooking.

"She's not a Cordon Bleu. She's a massive cheese and wine [expletive]," Martin revealed. "That's what she would say about herself. She says that about herself, 'I'm a cheese and wine [expletive].' It's not all she is, but no, she loves all that stuff. We like cooking."

Martin's dating history

Prior to his romance with Rachel, Martin had been in a relationship with his Sherlock co-star Amanda Abbington. The former couple were together for 16 years after initially crossing paths on the set of Men Only in 2000.

Together the pair share teenage children Joe, 19, and Grace, 18. 

Joe has followed his parents' footsteps into the acting business, and landed his first starring role in 2025's The Institute, which is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

Speaking to HELLO! last year, Joe opened up about how his famous parents helped him prepare for the role. "I did my self-tape with mum, and they were telling me, 'This is not guaranteed. Chances are this won't happen for you.' They've been in the industry and they know rejection," shared the actor. 

"I didn't think this was going to happen because I'm a British kid, and this is an American project; I've never acted professionally there was no reason [for it to happen]."