Sherlock stars Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington have split up after 16 years together.

The long-time partners, who have two children together, play on-screen couple John and Mary Watson in the hit BBC series.

Speaking to The Financial Times, 45-year-old Freeman revealed the news of their break-up, saying: "I'm not with Amanda any more.

"It's very, very amicable - I'll always love Amanda."

Freeman and Abbington met in 2000 on the set of the film Men Only and have appeared together on screen multiple times since then, including The Good Night and The Robinsons.

They are set to appear in the forthcoming fourth series of Sherlock, where John and Mary will introduce their baby daughter, Rosamund May Watson.

The first episode of the highly-anticipated new series will kick off on New Year's Day at 8.30pm on BBC One.