Martin Freeman, 50, takes a stroll with his actress girlfriend, 29… in a £350 parka 

He has been a hot topic of conversation due to his role as depressed Liverpudlian police officer plagued by marital woes in new BBC drama The Responder.

But in reality, things are on the up for Martin Freeman, as his love life has him beaming brighter than his latest fashion statement – after the star was seen stepping out with his girlfriend Rachel Mariam, 29, in Hampstead on Saturday.

The actor, 50, clearly had no qualms being spotted as he strolled through the swanky north London suburb in a bold £350 orange, blue and beige parka by British label Albam parka paired with jeans and brown suede Wallabee shoes.

The couple are believed to have struck up a relationship in 2020, four years after his split from his wife, fellow Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, with whom he shares children Joe, 16, and Grace, 13.

Happy days! Martin Freeman’s love life has him beaming brighter than his latest fashion statement – with the star seen stepping out with his girlfriend Rachel Mariam, 29, in Hampstead on Saturday 

French actress Rachel, who starred in hit BBC Three series Normal People, complemented her boyfriend’s style in a chic red coat.

She paired her look with bold trainers, a navy tracksuit-style ensemble with a slogan  front and a pair of dark, designer sunglasses. 

The couple went public with their romance last year, when they graced the red carpet at the Raindance Film Festival Opening Night gala screening of Best Sellers at The Dorchester in October just months after Amanda discussed their split. 

Speaking about the impact the split would have on their kids, she said in April: ‘I think it’s unsettling if I pretend I’m this Stepford Wife parent…

Happy days: The actor, 50, clearly had no qualms being spotted as he strolled through the swanky north London suburb in a bold £350 orange, blue and beige parka by British label Albam parka paired with jeans and brown suede Wallabee shoes

Happy days: The actor, 50, clearly had no qualms being spotted as he strolled through the swanky north London suburb in a bold £350 orange, blue and beige parka by British label Albam parka paired with jeans and brown suede Wallabee shoes

Hello there! The couple went public with their romance last year, when they graced the red carpet at the Raindance Film Festival Opening Night gala screening of Best Sellers at The Dorchester in October just months after Amanda discussed their split

Hello there! The couple went public with their romance last year, when they graced the red carpet at the Raindance Film Festival Opening Night gala screening of Best Sellers at The Dorchester in October just months after Amanda discussed their split

‘Nobody is. I’m sure I’ve given them irreparable damage and they will be going to therapy because of me and Martin at some point. That’s what I am striving for and what Martin strives for as well — to create a place where they’re not hiding anything.’

Martin and Rachel’s romantic walk comes after his latest role as a Liverpudlian police responder with mental health issues sparked a backlash over regional accents on TV.

The Responder follows Martin’s character, Chris, a Liverpudlian urgent response officer on the edge as he deals with marital problems and mental health issues alongside his challenging job.

Way back when: The couple are believed to have struck up a relationship in 2020, four years after his split from his wife, fellow Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, with whom he shares children Joe, 16, and Grace, 13 (Martin and Amanda in 2014)

Way back when: The couple are believed to have struck up a relationship in 2020, four years after his split from his wife, fellow Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, with whom he shares children Joe, 16, and Grace, 13 (Martin and Amanda in 2014)

Apprentice star, Lord Alan Sugar criticised his scouse accent, claiming that he struggled to understand a single word he said in the BBC thriller.

He wrote: ‘Hard to follow what he and other cast are saying. No disrespect to people of Liverpool they are nice down to earth people. My wife gave up watching she said she could not understand a word.’

One Twitter user branded him ‘the thickest billionaire in the world’ while others feared his comments could set back the struggle to get big TV dramas made outside of London.

Martin said he put in the hours to master the accent and ‘spoke to himself in scouse’ for a year and a half beforehand.

Starring role: He plays a depressed police officer plagued by marital woes in newly-released BBC drama The Responder which has set tongues waffing thanks to his Liverpudlian accent

Starring role: He plays a depressed police officer plagued by marital woes in newly-released BBC drama The Responder which has set tongues waffing thanks to his Liverpudlian accent 

He told the BBC’s Front Row radio show: ‘The idea of going up there among a load of Scousers, cast and crew, and ballsing it up was quite sobering, so I wanted to absolutely get it right.

‘And I’d always said if I wasn’t 100 per cent convinced that I could do the accent, I was never going to do the accent if it was going to be like 80% or whatever.

‘And I desperately wanted to play this part. You were always very aware of the fact, in a nice way, that I wasn’t from around these parts. No-one made me feel like that.

‘But I always thought ‘don’t ever think you’ve got this, keep working, keep honing it, and just do it all the time’.’

Oh dear: Apprentice star, Lord Alan Sugar criticised his scouse accent, claiming that he struggled to understand a single word he said in the BBC thriller

Oh dear: Apprentice star, Lord Alan Sugar criticised his scouse accent, claiming that he struggled to understand a single word he said in the BBC thriller

Ouch: He wrote: 'Hard to follow what he and other cast are saying. No disrespect to people of Liverpool they are nice down to earth people. My wife gave up watching she said she could not understand a word'

Ouch: He wrote: ‘Hard to follow what he and other cast are saying. No disrespect to people of Liverpool they are nice down to earth people. My wife gave up watching she said she could not understand a word’