Anna Maxwell Martin says she feared going broke following the sudden death of her ex-husband, and worried about the implications it might have on the mental wellbeing of their children.
The actress, best known for her roles in Motherland and Line Of Duty, was devastated after filmmaker Roger Michell died suddenly in 2021 aged 65 – a year after the couple announced their separation.
And Martin, 47, admits her first instinct was to protect their two children, daughters Maggie, 15, and Nancy, 13, while facing a potentially uncertain financial future as a lone parent.
She told BBC Women’s Hour: ‘My husband died three years ago and things were really difficult on every aspect of our lives.
‘One of those was that there’s a lot of stuff that comes with grief, and one of them is financial terror. And then there are real practicalities around your children and their mental health, and supporting them, which is your priority.’
Anna Maxwell Martin says she was in a state of ‘financial terror’ following the death of her ex-husband, and feared the impact it might have on the mental wellbeing of their children
The actress, best known for her roles in BBC shows Motherland and Line Of Duty , was devastated after filmmaker Roger Michell died suddenly in 2021 (pictured in 2008)
She added: ‘Looking back, I was probably in a state of shock, and fear, and a heightened state, for a long time actually, until very recently.’
Michell, an acclaimed director whose film and TV credits included Notting Hill, Enduring Love and BBC show The Buddha Of Suburbia, died of an undisclosed cause on 22 September 2021. The actress was 42 at the time.
But Martin, who is currently promoting new show Until I Kill You, believes losing her father Ivan Martin when she was 24 helped her cope with the loss of her former husband.
She said: ‘I’ve tried this road before, of grief, and sudden traumatic death. I’ve done it before, and so in a way I could pick myself up and do it again.
‘It was horrible to have to see my children walk that road, but I’m pretty gritty, I’m pretty strong, and I think I’m quite deft, I hope, at navigating life. And I thought, “I’ve just got to keep the motor chugging on.”‘
She added: ‘When it happened to me [for the first time] and I was 24, I was very lonely. I was very isolated because no-one had been through what I’d been through. I didn’t know those people.
‘And then when it happened with Rog, I saw it more as, “We’ve all got to keep it together for the kids.”
‘I also think there’s something about being a woman in your 40s, and by then, if you’re lucky enough, you will have succeeded in having the best friends and best people around you.
Michell, an acclaimed director whose film credits included Notting Hill, died aged 65 of an undisclosed cause on 22 September 2021 (pictured with Martin in 2013)
Martin admits her first instinct was to protect their two children, daughters Maggie, 15, and Nancy, 13, while facing a potentially uncertain financial future
Martin and Michell announced their separation in 2020, before he passed away the following year (pictured September 2021)
Martin believes losing her father Ivan when she was 24 helped her cope with the loss of her former husband (L-R: Ivan, Anna, her mother Rosalind and brother Adam)
‘You’ll have stopped making mistakes in that area of your life. And I really did, I had exceptional friends, an exceptional support network.’
Speaking to The Sunday Times in June, Martin revealed that her grief over Michell’s death was compounded by the lack of empathy from others.
The Line Of Duty star explained that acquaintances crossed the road to avoid them and avoided talking about Roger’s death, saying she felt ‘sorry’ for them and saying they had ‘cocked up’ by not showing any sensitivity.
She said: ‘We make these broad, sweeping statements about “We’re much better now” but I haven’t found that. Schools certainly aren’t any better.
‘And then there are those who talk to me as if nothing’s happened. We’ve experienced a whole load of that.
‘The girls – thank God – are very deft at processing it, so they will bring their daddy into conversation, but even members of Roger’s generation, people my age, can’t have [his death] mentioned.’
She continued: ‘People are very bad at acknowledging pain or death or difficulty. I find it really odd. Is it a cultural thing? I’m really glad I’m not one of those people because when it happens I think — I feel sorry for you.
‘You’ve cocked up. I know you’re scared but it’s about showing care, saying to someone, “How are you? Was that difficult? How are you feeling?”‘
Speaking to The Sunday Times in June , the actress revealed that her and her daughters’ grief was compounded by the lack of empathy from others (pictured in 2022)
Martin has been dating millionaire record boss Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, 52, since 2022 and described him as ‘very sensible, rocklike, level and practical’ (pictured in 2017)
Martin also stressed the value of talking about a lost loved one after they’ve gone, calling it ‘so important. I know – but I still want to hear – that Roger was important to people and an incredibly talented person.’
She added how vital it had been for her daughters to be able to still watch the huge amount of archive footage of their dad.
She said: ‘It’s really important. With my dad I forgot very quickly what he sounded like, then after 20 years I found a recording and heard his voice again. It was a shock and really hard.
‘My girls miss [their father] all the time but they won’t have that “Oh my God!” moment — they can see him whenever they want. I go on the internet and listen to Roger often.’
Martin has been dating millionaire record boss Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, 52, since 2022.
Martin is perhaps best known for her starring role in hit BBC drama Line Of Duty (pictured)
The actress is currently promoting her new TV show, Until I Kill You (pictured, with co-star Shaun Evans)