Amy Nuttall is no stranger to weathering a relationship roller coaster on screen.
As Downton Abbey housemaid Ethel Parks she had an affair with gentry, gave birth to an illegitimate child and later turned to prostitution after being spurned from society.
In Emmerdale, her character Chloe Atkinson indulged in affairs, faked a pregnancy, and was forced to leave the village in disgrace after her tangled web of deceit unravelled.
Yet, shockingly, it’s off-screen that Amy has battled with some of her most difficult personal setbacks, having dealt with a cheating husband and the loss of her beloved mother in the space of a few months.
On Monday, it emerged the 41-year-old actress had taken back her love rat husband Andrew Buchan for a third time, seven months after dumping him for failing to stick to her ‘marriage rules’.
Inside Amy Nuttall’s on/off marriage to Andrew Buchan as the actress takes her love rat husband back for a third time in a year (pictured in 2013)
In 2022 Andrew turned Amy'[s world upside down in 2022 when it emerged he had cheated on her with his co-star Leila Farzad, who he met on the set of his BBC series, Better (pictured)
It’s the latest twist in her convoluted love story with Andrew, 45, who turned her world upside down in 2022 when it emerged he had cheated on her with his co-star Leila Farzad, who he had met on the set of his BBC series, Better.
Of course, Amy could not have predicted this turn of events when she first started dating Broadchurch star Andrew in 2007.
They did not rush into marriage, tying the knot in 2012, with Amy no doubt wary after having her heart broken by her Emmerdale co-star and former boyfriend Ben Freeman.
In another example of fiction blending with reality, the pair had been on-off lovers in the ITV soap before striking up an off-screen romance that lasted for four years.
Amy described him as the ‘first real love of my life’, but much like the tumultuous storylines they played out on TV, their romance ended in tragedy when Ben was said to have cheated on her, causing a shock split in 2005.
Refusing to give up on the idea of love, Amy moved on with Andrew two years later, and in an interview before their wedding she admitted: ‘I’ve known for ages he’s The One.’
She confessed to having an ‘inkling’ he was going to propose during their holiday – which turned out to be correct – and they went on to welcome a daughter and a son, now nine and five respectively.
It was this same inkling that led to the demise of their union, however, as in 2022 her intuition alerted her to Andrew’s betrayal.
She grew concerned that he had been unfaithful after seeing pictures of him with Leila on social media, in which the pair appeared a little too close for comfort.
Amy’s fears were confirmed when she discovered he had been staying in a hotel close to their home – while claiming to be away working on location – and he had purchased racy lingerie in a different size to hers.
A source told The Sun: ‘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.’
In Downton Abbey her character, housemaid Ethel Parks, had an affair with gentry, gave birth to an illegitimate child and later turned to prostitution after being spurned from society
In Emmerdale, her character Chloe Atkinson indulged in affairs, faked a pregnancy, and was forced to leave the village in disgrace after her tangled web of deceit unravelled
Amy had her heart broken by her Emmerdale co-star and former boyfriend Ben Freeman. In another example of fiction blending with reality, the pair had been on-off lovers in the ITV soap
Amy confronted her husband about his behaviour, with a friend of hers telling MailOnline it ‘must have been the most difficult thing Amy has ever had to do.’
Seemingly unwilling to work on his 11-year marriage at that stage, Andrew left the family home shortly before Christmas, moving in with Leila.
The actress was so ‘crushed’ by the end of her marriage that she was crying almost every day.
Speaking to MailOnline shortly afterwards, she fought back tears and confessed: ‘I can’t talk about it [the split]. I’m sorry, I can’t say anything.’
A source said at the time: ‘It was a huge shock. Amy is heartbroken.’
Just weeks later, however, Andrew’s mistress Leila allegedly returned to her husband James Maizels, who she married in 2013.
In turn, it was claimed Amy demanded a divorce from Andrew in March, after being ‘publicly humiliated’ by his infidelity.
Yet she seemingly had a change of heart by June, when Andrew was seen leaving their family home wearing his gold wedding ring, allegedly telling a friend at the time: ‘We’re healing.’
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 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.’
Amy moved on with Andrew two years after Ben broke her heart, and in an interview before their wedding she admitted: ‘I’ve known for ages he’s The One’ (pictured in 2017)
She confessed to having an ‘inkling’ he was going to propose – which turned out to be correct – and they went on to welcome a daughter and a son, now nine and five respectively
The following month it emerged she had taken her husband back on the condition he stick to a set of ‘marriage rules.’
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.
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 Sun.
‘[Amy] doesn’t want to throw away over a decade together but at the same time she is far from a pushover.
‘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 made up three of the rules, and the final one is that their work should be on an equal footing, it was reported.
At the same time she took Andrew back, Amy was dealt a devastating blow as her beloved mother Elaine – who had been her rock during her marital split – was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The tragic news of course sent Amy into a spiral, who was left in ‘total shock’ by the diagnosis.
As Amy struggled to cope with the thought of losing her mother, she split from her husband again, after he was seemingly unable to stick to her marital rules.
Amy’s inklings led to the demise of their union as in 2022 her intuition alerted her to Andrew’s affair with Leila (pictured in Better) and he in turned walked out on the family home
After Laila returned to her husband, Amy also took her husband Andrew back on the condition he stick to a set of ‘marriage rules’, which he seemingly broke a month later
The ‘gutted’ actress called time on their marriage last summer and threw 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. She is obviously gutted but also accepts that their time together has come to an end.’
Amy was dealt another blow just weeks later, when her mother died in September.
She shared the news with her Instagram followers, writing: ‘My heart is beating loudly whilst I write this. Yesterday I said goodbye to my beautiful dear mummy.
‘She was diagnosed in July with a glioblastoma (grade 4). To say it was the biggest shock would be an understatement.
‘Together with my wonderful family, we helped care for her to the end where she died in my arms as I lay beside her on 30/10/23 at 5.05pm.
‘She humbled us all with how she handled this cruel diagnosis… never complaining, always smiling and bringing her daft humour to the fore every day. Mum, you were my rock. Always. My best friend.
‘I’m not sure how I’m going to do life without you but I know you’ll always be with me to carry me through as you always did. Thank you mummy… you gave me the best days I ever had ❤️xxx #glioblastoma #braintumour #rosemere.’
She honoured her late mother by releasing the charity single, Thank You Mother, in March, teaming up with The Brain Tumour Charity to raise vital awareness and funds for the charity.
At the same time she took Andrew back, Amy was dealt a devastating blow as her beloved mother Elaine was diagnosed with terminal cancer
Elaine – who had been Amy’s rock during her marital split – died in September and she honoured her late mother by releasing the charity single, Thank You Mother
Shortly afterwards came the latest twist in her romantic tale with Andrew, with Amy confirming in an interview with The Sunday Times last week that they had reconciled.
Asked how much she’d earned in the last year, Amy shared: ‘Generally speaking, in the last financial year — what can I tell you? — below a hundred grand.
‘But I’m married so it all goes into one pot. So it’s not as scary because I can lean on that.’
She also confirmed the couple still live in their family home together, explaining: ‘I’m the joint owner of our comfortable family home in Buckinghamshire. We owned a smaller house before.’
One of the jobs that will have contributed to her earnings last year was her stint in ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, a dramatisation of the Horizon IT scandal.
The actress played Lisa Castleton, with Will Mellor as her husband Lee in the series, which followed the story of hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted for theft by the Post Office due to a faulty IT system.
Amy will no doubt have taken plenty away from the role, which saw the Castletons go from being declared bankrupt when they were falsely accused of theft by the Post Office, to receiving a settlement pay-out when a judge ruled in their favour in a legal battle against their employers.
Perhaps there’s something to be said in the parallels between the Castletons financial struggles – who got back on their feet through what Lee called ‘sheer bloody hard work’ – and Amy’s marital woes as she gives her union another chance.
As for Andrew, it could be argued that his romantic trajectory mirrored the skewed morals shown on his last TV project, BBC’s Better.
Amy recently starred as Lisa Castleton, with Will Mellor as her husband Lee, in ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office
As for Andrew, it could be argued that his romantic trajectory mirrored the skewed morals shown on his last TV project, BBC’s Better
In the police drama, he played convicted drug dealer Col McHugh, who blackmailed corrupt police detective Lou Slack (Leila) into doing his bidding.
While the characters were married to others in the show, body language expert Judi James told MailOnline after a viewing: ‘The nuanced and constantly changing rituals and signals they used together always seemed designed to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat in terms of whether they were in fact deeply in love or lust or not.’
Last month it emerged the drama – that received mixed reviews and decent ratings – had been axed after just one series.
With the BBC pulling the plug on what would’ve been Andrew’s next project, Amy will no doubt be hoping he’s also pulled the plug on any further infidelities.
‘I would NEVER try it on with someone else’s boyfriend’: A look back at Amy Nuttall’s rocky romances in her own words after unlucky-in-love star’s husband Andrew Buchan walked out to pursue relationship with co-star
Downton Abbey star Amy Nuttall was left heartbroken after husband Andrew Buchan ‘walked out’ on her and moved in with new co-star Leila Farzad.
It was the latest blow to befell the 40-year-old actress, who has had a rocky romantic past with her romances.
She was famously cheated on by her Emmerdale co-star Ben Freeman in 2005, who she had described as the ‘first real love of my life.’
The pair had played on/off lovers in the ITV soap and their will they/won’t they storyline ultimately seeped into their real lives as they struck up a romance, dating for four years.
However, much like the tumultuous storylines they played out on screen, their romance ended in tragedy when Ben was rumoured to have cheated on her.
A look back at Amy Nuttall’s rocky romances: Amy was famously cheated on by her Emmerdale co-star Ben Freeman in 2005 (pictured in 2004)
Tragedy: Downton Abbey star Amy was reportedly left heartbroken after husband Andrew Buchan ‘walked out’ on her and moved in with his new co-star (pictured in 2014)
She was aware of the female attention her boyfriend would attract on a night out but had convinced herself he wouldn’t stray.
In an ill-fated interview, she told The Mirror in 2003: ‘Girls seem to have no inhibitions at all, especially after a few drinks. It’s obvious that we are out as a couple, but it doesn’t stop them trying to clamber all over him.
‘Ben’s brilliant. He’s very polite, but he always puts his arm around me to make it clear that he is there with me.’
Making her stance on infidelity very clear, she continued: ‘The girls don’t make me jealous because I’m very secure in my relationship with Ben, but I do think it’s rude.
‘I would never dream of going up to someone else’s boyfriend and trying it on.’
Despite being a lads’ mag favourite in the Noughties, Amy insisted that she had no male attention in real life, stating: ‘I’ve never been chatted up since arriving on Emmerdale.
‘Even when I’m not with Ben, I get the odd look of recognition but no one comes up to talk to me. Maybe they know I’m spoken for, or they feel intimidated because I’m on TV. Men like to play it cool and I suppose they don’t want a knock-back.’
Yet by her own admission she wasn’t good at picking up signs from men, confessing that she had no idea that Ben was into her and that he did ‘all the chasing.’
New romance? Andrew is said to have told Amy their marriage was over before Christmas and has moved in with Leila after working together on their new series (pictured on the show)
What’s going on? Amy appeared to allude to the split, as she took to Instagram to share a cryptic message just a day after Valentine’s Day
Despite her one rule being ‘not to mix work with pleasure’, she found herself falling head over heels for Ben and the couple ended up moving in together.
Even after they split and a woman came forward with a kiss and tell story about Ben, Amy insisted that she still had a lot of love for her partner.
Speaking shortly after their split in 2005, she said: ‘Ben and I are still good mates and we’ll always remain close.
‘He was the first real love of my life, and we’re still very good friends with each other’s families, so there’s no bad feeling there at all.’
Three years after their split, Ben faced trial for raping a 16-year-old girl in Barbados. He was later acquitted.
He said he had been devastated by the allegation and that, since the incident in November 2006, he had been ‘released’ from his contract with Emmerdale.
Two years after the trial got engaged to Hollyoaks actress Jennifer Biddall on the set of Dreamcoats and Petticoats.
Yet in 2013 he was accused of infidelity again after he was pictured openly kissing and hugging his West End co-star Gina Beck.
Former flame: Despite her one rule being ‘not to mix work with pleasure’, she found herself falling head over heels for Emmerdale co-star Ben and the couple dated for four years (pictured on the show)
Despite claiming to have had no attention from men, Amy was linked to a number of high profile male suitors.
She was seen out with the likes of Manchester United’s Alan Smith and Everton’s James Beattie, T4 presenter Steve Jones, reality star Calum Best and the late X Factor star Darius Campbell.
Yet she denied being romantically involved with any of them, stating: ‘I can’t seem to go out and even talk to a guy without it getting in the papers that he’s my new boyfriend.
‘It makes it hard to date anyone because with all the attention I can’t even work out whether I like somebody or not. It really puts pressure on, and most times I think it’s not worth the hassle.
‘But it’s not like I get much attention anyway. It’s always nice to be chatted up by a gorgeous guy, but the only ones I ever get are the drunk ones at the end of the night who come over and talk rubbish at me.’
Despite not being approached in real life, Amy was considered a sex symbol by many men due to her racy lads’ mag spreads.
She later confessed that she regretted posing for the racy shoots, telling People newspaper: ‘I was kind of told that if you do this you will get bigger and better storylines.
‘They said that the more attention you got, the bigger the character would grow, therefore there would be more to do.
‘And so I kind of thought, “Oh well…in that case”. I wouldn’t say there was pressure to do it but I certainly was young and naïve because I was just 18 when I started in Emmerdale.
‘My dad says, “Look, don’t regret it. What’s done is done.” And so many girls have done it.’
She continued: ‘I went on GMTV to plug my storyline and all they wanted talk about was a lad’s mag that I was in. I thought, “Hang on a minute, there is more to me than that”.’
It seemed Amy had found her happy ending when she met Broadchurch actor Andrew in 2007, with the couple tying the knot in 2012 and welcoming a son three years later.
Yet their romance has since faced its own well-documented problems.
Romantic entanglements: Amy was linked to a number of high profile male suitors including reality star Calum Best (left) and the late X Factor star Darius Campbell
Stunning: Despite not being approached in real life, Amy was considered a sex symbol by many men due to her racy lads’ mag spreads (pictured in 2007)
