Normally when you are in the middle of splitting up with your partner you can just avoid them.
But this wasn't the case for poor Martin Freeman, who had to face his ex every day while filming Sherlock.
The Hobbit actor admitted the experience of having to work alongside long-term partner Amanda Abbington while they were breaking up "wasn't very fun".
The pair had been together for 16 years after meeting on the set of the film Men Only in 2000 before going on to work together in BBC comedy The Robinsons and 2007 movie The Good Night.
Their most famous appearance on-screen together came in much-loved BBC drama Sherlock, with Martin playing faithful sidekick Doctor Watson and Amanda his wife, Mary Morstan.
Opening up on Desert Island Discs in 2019, Martin was asked how working together on the show was and gave an honest response.
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"Awful! No, it was good, I really love working with her," he said. "By the time of the last Sherlock that we've done, we were sort of in the midst of splitting up, so that wasn't that much fun.
"But when we weren't in that midst it was great."
They had two children together, son Joe and daughter Grace, and both wanted to remain civil for the sake of their kids and each other.
Martin added: "Because when you’ve loved someone for that long and they have been such an integral part of your life, what – that is supposed to not count now?"
The former couple actually got married on-screen a number of times, including in Sherlock, but didn't in real life.
In a 2017 interview with Radio Times following their split, Martin similarly described how the ex-couple were on amicable terms.
"We split up a while ago," he said. "I mean, we're very friendly and it's all lovely and cool. Yes, we've not been together for a while. I mean, we did the series not together.
"I'm all right, yes. I mean, we're honest to God doing it [separating] in about as civilised a manner as I've ever heard of, you know.
"I love Amanda's work. I think she's brilliant as an actor and she's brilliant as a woman and, yes, I love her. I will always love Amanda, but, yes, we're… you know, that's what's happened."
Martin is now in a relationship with French actress Rachel Mariam, while Amanda is engaged to stuntman and self-proclaimed "daredevil" Jonathan Goodwin.
Speaking about their split at the time, Amanda told The Sunday Times magazine: "When we broke up nobody knew, we didn't tell anybody except for a few key people because they had to know, because of the logistics of hotels and stuff.
"We still get on really well, we still really both admire each other as actors... he's a great guy, but we just couldn't live with each other any more."
Amanda explained that struggled to cope with the collapse of the relationship and it had been "one of the darkest moments" of her life.
She added: "We still love each other - even if we're not in love with each other - and neither of us sees our relationship as a failure.
"We had 16 great years together and have two fantastic kids. We still talk and we still give each other advice."
In April last year, Amanda said her split from Martin could have caused "irreparable damage" to their kids.
Speaking on Instagram in live session for the It’s OK mental health campaign, the actress explained that she wanted her kids to know that "there's nothing to be frightened of or ashamed of" no matter what they go through.
Speaking about the breakdown of her relationship to Martin and its effect on their kids, she said: "I'm sure I’ve given them irreparable damage and they will be going to therapy because of me and Martin at some point."
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