Amy Nuttall was seen for the first time in her role as Lisa in ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office since her split from her cheating husband, Andrew Buchan.
The former Emmerdale star, 41, was pictured looking glum alongside her co-star Will Mellor, who plays fellow postmaster Lee.
The new ITV drama tells the story of the Post Office scandal, focusing on former sub-postmaster Alan Bates, who fought for justice for himself and the other sub-postmasters affected by the Post Office’s actions.
Amy ‘split from her cheating husband Andrew Buchan for a second time’ after he failed to stick to the marriage rules she set for him in the wake of his ‘affair’ with Leila Farzad.
The Downton Abbey star had taken the actor, 44, back after his relationship with his co-star, 41, emerged in February – but issued him a list of strict demands to help them rebuild their marriage.
Amy Nuttall was seen for the first time in her role as Lisa in ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office since her split from her cheating husband, Andrew Buchan (pictured with Will Mellor)
The former Emmerdale star, 41, was pictured looking glum alongside her co-star Will Mellor, who plays fellow postmaster Lee as they attended a meeting in one scene
Amy called time on their 11-year marriage for good, throwing him out of the family home they shared with their two children.
A source told The Sun: ‘It took a lot for Amy to give the marriage another chance, but she thought it was worth one final roll of the dice.
‘There is no suggestion he has cheated again, but as far as she is concerned this is it.’
They added: ‘She is obviously gutted but also accepts that their time together has come to an end.’
It emerged in February this year that Andrew had reportedly left his wife of 11 years Amy for his BBC crime drama Better co-star Leila, 41 .
But just weeks later, Leila allegedly returned to her husband James Maizels, while Andrew returned to his family, with The Sun reporting that Andrew told a friend: ‘We’re healing.’
In July, it was claimed that Amy had set her husband seven strict rules to follow after their reunion to rekindle their relationship.
The pair was captured sitting in what appeared to be a meeting while sporting casual shirts and jeans
The new ITV drama tells the story of the Post Office scandal, focusing on former sub-postmaster Alan Bates, who fought for justice for himself and the other sub-postmasters affected by the Post Office’s actions
She ‘split from her cheating husband Andrew Buchan for a second time’ after he failed to stick to the marriage rules she set for him in the wake of his ‘affair’ with Leila Farzad
Amy apparently demanded weekly date nights as they followed the 777 approach, full access to each other’s phones and absolutely no out-of-work contact with any co-stars, according to The Sun.
It was reported that Andrew would also need to keep in contact via FaceTime when he’s working away.
‘No one thought they could come back from this, but Amy has decided to give it one more go,’ a source told the publication.
‘[Amy] doesn’t want to throw away over a decade together, but at the same time she is far from a pushover.
READ MORE: ‘I would NEVER try it on with someone else’s boyfriend’: A look back at Amy Nuttall’s rocky romances in her own words
‘They will adopt the 777 approach which means every seven days you go on a date, every seven weeks you go away for the night and every seven months you go away on holiday just the two of you.’
The 777 approach makes up three of the rules, and the final one is that their work should be on an equal footing, it was reported.
MailOnline contacted Amy and Andrew’s representatives for comment at the time.
Speculation the couple had reunited came in the month before when Andrew was seen leaving their family home wearing his gold wedding ring in June.
Amy was spotted around the same time at the property without her ring, but insiders suggested they were giving things another go.
A source close to the couple told The Sun: ‘Amy was, understandably, devastated to learn of the infidelity and wanted a clean break and a fresh start.
‘But Andrew has come back to her and promised to change.
‘They have been working through their problems and are trying to put the love triangle behind them for the sake of their family.’
It was originally thought that the couple were separated after Amy reportedly demanded a divorce from her husband Andrew in March, just weeks after news of their split emerged, but it seemed her wishes changed.
After being left devastated by her husband’s alleged infidelity, sources told The Sun that Amy was taking the power back after the betrayal while also claiming that Andrew and Leila had parted ways.
The source said: ‘She’s told him she wants a divorce anyway, she’s been publicly humiliated and the pain has been unbearable.
She had previously taken the actor back after his ‘affair’ with Better co-star Leila Farzad, 39 – but with a list of strict demands to help them rebuild their marriage
Amy demanded weekly date nights as they follow the 777 approach, full access to each other’s phones and no out of work contact with any co-stars, according to The Sun
Speculation the couple had reunited came in the month before, when Andrew was seen leaving their family home wearing his gold wedding ring in June
‘She thought he was away working, when in fact he was often in hotels with Leila — once the truth emerged it was like being hit by a train.’
They added: ‘Now she’s decided to take back control again and plan her own future. She’s going down the legal route and will get everything she’s entitled to.’
Andrew was thought to have left the family home after their affair came to light and moved in with Leila after meeting her while working together on the BBC series.
Leila married her husband James Maizels in 2013, and they have a daughter who was born in 2014.
Andrew’s alleged affair with Leila was exposed after Amy discovered that he had purchased racy lingerie in a size that was not her own.
Friends claimed the actor informed Amy of his desire to terminate the marriage shortly before Christmas.
A source told The Sun: ‘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.
‘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.
‘But the final straw was the lingerie — that’s what clinched it. Amy just knew instinctively that it wasn’t meant for her.’
The pair have two children, a son and daughter, who they keep away from the limelight
Leila was previously married to husband James, with the pair tying the knot in 2013, after being friends for six years. They have a daughter born in 2014
Amy, who had been so ‘crushed’ by the end of her marriage that she was crying almost every day, struggled to raise a smile as she was seen running errands in Buckinghamshire days later.
Speaking to MailOnline about the split shortly afterwards, she fought back tears and confessed: ‘I can’t talk about it. I’m sorry, I can’t say anything.’
A source said at the time: ‘It was a huge shock. Amy is heartbroken.’
Andrew was said to have told Amy their marriage was over ahead of the festive period, leaving the actress devastated and their friends in a state of shock.
The source added: ‘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. Whatever has gone on, it seems to have been enough for him to re-evaluate his whole life and rip up their marriage.
‘Nobody is quite sure of the exact details, but Andrew has clearly had his head turned pretty dramatically.’ MailOnline has previously contacted a representative for further comment.
Mr Bates vs the Post Office will air on New Year’s Day 2024. Episode one will debut on 1st January at 9 pm, and episodes two, three and four will follow at the same time on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of the month.
