Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington tells of death threats from jealous fanatics when announced as Dr Watson's wife



Amanda Abbington received death threats by 'fanatical' Sherlock fans after it was announced she was to play Dr Watson's wife.



The threats came about after fans feared that she would come between the two main characters, played by Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch.



The 39-year-old is in fact the real-life partner of Martin Freeman, who plays Dr Watson in the BBC1 series.

Meet the wife: Amanda said that she received death threats from fans after it was announced she was to play Dr Watson's wife

In the Saturday Review in The Times, she said: 'When I told everybody I was playing Mary, there was a small group who wanted me dead.



'I got, "She should die. How dare she play Mary Mortsan? How dare she!"'



However, unphased by the backlash, she said: 'They take the John and Sherlock storyline so seriously that they wouldn't want anyone coming between them.'

Unphased: Amanda was unphased by the backlash from fans, knowing how seriously the avid viewers scrutinate the relationship between Sherlock and Watson

Amanda added that there is a 'subconscious desire' from fans to see a romance develop between Sherlock and Dr Watson, however nothing of the sort is likely to happen as 'it's like a brotherly love.'

Abbington, who has been married to Freeman since 2007, admitted that her acting career took a step back shortly after meeting him - when he was flourishing in his role as Tim in The Office.



The actress, who has since starred in the successful Mr Selfridge, also looked after their two children Joe and Grace while Freeman was in New Zealand filming The Hobbit.



Cute couple: The real-life couple of 11 years now play an on-screen couple in Sherlock

The pair were spotted on the red carpet at the premiere of Freeman's new film The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug at TCL Chinese Theatre in December in Hollywood, California.



Appearing happy and in love, Amanda looked over to her partner of 11 years, in pure admiration at the premiere as they cuddled up to each other in front of the cameras.

