Leila Farzad’s unwelcome comments about having a “crisis of conscience” arose in the wake of her “affair” with married co-star Andrew Buchan.
It was revealed this week that Broadchurch star Buchan left his wife Amy Nuttall “heartbroken” when he she allegedly left her for Farzad, whom she met on the BBC series Better.
Nuttall is said to have found out her husband was having an affair when he bought daring lingerie in a size that wasn’t hers and she was so “crushed” at the end of their marriage that she has been crying almost every day.
Buchan, 44, is said to have walked out on Nuttall, 40, over Christmas and his BBC series with Fazard aired in February this year.
While promoting the drama last month, in which Farzad plays rogue police officer Lou alongside Buchan as a well-connected criminal, the actress said her character is “trying to be better and see if she can redeem herself” after an incident. .
Timing: Leila Farzad’s unwelcome comments about having a ‘crisis of conscience’ arose in the wake of her affair with married co-star Andrew Buchan
Co-stars: Buchan stars as Col, a well-connected criminal, opposite Farzad’s corrupt police officer Lou in the crime drama Better, which first screened on BBC One in February.
Speaking on Virgin Radio last month, he said: “This is about someone you think should be good who is actually terribly corrupt.”
‘Maybe an institution that claims to be morally superior, maybe there are some bad eggs and bad apples.
‘He is an anti-hero. She is a police officer who also works for a corrupt drug dealer and something happens to her and she has a crisis of conscience.
“It’s about her trying to be better and if she can redeem herself.”
Fazard and Buchan are yet to speak about their romance, while when asked about the split by MailOnline, Nuttall choked back tears, confessing: “I can’t talk about it.” Sorry, I can’t say anything.
Friends have told MailOnline the split has left the actress “crushed” as she tries to rebuild her life.
One said: ‘It’s been very difficult for Amy. She has been crying practically every day since it happened and she is struggling to cope. She can’t even bring herself to talk about it, as she’s still trying to make sense of it all.
Another friend added: ‘Amy and the kids have been hit hard by this, as you can imagine. They are all crushed. One minute they were living an idyllic family life in a beautiful house and the next, Andrew walks out on them.
Heartbroken: It was revealed this week that Broadchurch star Buchan left his wife Amy Nuttall “heartbroken” when he allegedly left her for Farzad (pictured in 2017)
“I’ve seen Amy a couple of times and when I do, she starts crying. She has been crying a lot and is still grieving the end of the marriage.
A close family friend told MailOnline: ‘Amy and the whole family are devastated by what has happened.
His parents are really upset about this, as is everyone. ‘People are very angry with Andrew for what he has done. ‘We just didn’t see it coming. It’s a huge shock.
Nuttall alluded to their split with cryptic social media posts in recent months.
The day after Valentine’s Day, she shared a scathing post that read: “I’m not impressed by money, social status or job title, I’m impressed by the way someone treats other human beings.”
Days before, she shared photos from a vacation, which showed no sign of Andrew, but a picture with a friend and a cute photo of her holding hands with two children.
She captioned the images: “Holidays with my favorites.”
In another indication that she was going through a tumultuous time, Amy shared a selfie sipping a cocktail earlier this month, writing: “When a porn star martini makes life a little better.”
At Christmas, she shared a solo snap posing in front of her tree when a follower asked her: ‘How are you and the kids? xxx’
Meanwhile, Leila has also been active on Instagram and recently shared an effusive Instagram post paying tribute to Andrew for “holding her and drying her tears,” along with a snapshot of them filming their new drama.
Along with a montage featuring the entire Better cast and crew, he wrote: ‘This batch. It couldn’t and wouldn’t happen without them. Kudos to the Better team who wiped away my tears, held me up, fed me scones, and made me smile.
‘I don’t have photos of everyone, but this gang helped me! We made a show, NOT a Happy Valley replacement, but a morality tale that should make you think.
Buchan is said to have left his wife of 11 years after entering into an affair with Fazard.
The actor, best known for his role as Mark Latimer in Broadchurch, married Downton Abbey star Nuttall in 2012, and the couple welcomed a son three years later in 2015. The couple also have a daughter. .
Fazard married her husband James Maizels in 2013 and they have a daughter, Allegra, who was born in 2014. It is not known when they separated.
In scenes from Better, Fazard and Buchan are seen sharing a hug, and Leila has described their on-screen relationship as “intense”.
She said: ‘It’s a very complicated relationship.
“When we first meet them, it’s an intense relationship that has an element of friendship, but there’s a pretty intimate power play between these two people.
Co-stars: In scenes from Better, Fazard and Buchan are seen sharing a hug, and Leila has described their on-screen relationship as “intense”.
“At first, something very triggering happens to Lou, and she is forced to let go of this person, Col, who was such an integral part of her life.
“The crux of the story is that Col goes from friend to foe, which is why the story picks up momentum.”
On working with Buchan on the show, he added: ‘We’ve never worked together before. It is a dream to work with him.
“He is absolutely open and generous and very skilled at what he does.
I felt very lucky to be working with him on set every day.
‘