Motherland actress Anna Maxwell Martin is set to appear on ITV series The Assembly
Anna Maxwell Martin made a heartbreaking admission(Image: Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
Anna Maxwell Martin has shared a poignant personal revelation.
The 48-year-old actress, who was born in Beverley, is the latest celebrity to feature on ITV’s The Assembly, which returns to ITV1 and ITVX on Tuesday (April 21) at 10.05pm.
The acclaimed programme sees a famous face answer questions from a group of autistic, neurodivergent or learning disabled individuals. The debut series garnered widespread praise, with episodes featuring Danny Dyer, David Tennant, Jade Thirlwall and Gary Lineker described as “a breath of fresh air”.
The Assembly has now reconvened, with a group of new celebrities taking their turn in the spotlight. Alongside Anna, the line-up includes Sir Stephen Fry, Nicola Sturgeon, Sir Lenny Henry, and Aitch.
They will face an uncompromising array of questions that no chat show, press junket or even parliamentary interrogation has previously ventured to pose, reports the Mirror.
In the forthcoming episode, Anna was questioned about the death of her former husband, Roger Michell, who died in 2021. The pair were married for 16 years before parting ways in 2020. They have two daughters together.
Anna consoled an Assembly member named Mikey, who had recently lost his father. The youngster asked the actress how her children were managing following the loss of their dad, with Anna responding: “Well, thank you so much for asking because sometimes, and I don’t know if you’ve found this, people don’t ask, because they’re scared, aren’t they?
“For my kids, it was four years ago. I give you all the strength I can muster because it’s a long road where you need a lot of patience, don’t you?”
The star went on to open up about the struggles she faced following the death of her father, and how she supported her children when they experienced the same heartbreak.
“I lost my dad when I was 24 and it was very, very hard, and I felt very, very, very alone. So, that was that. And then obviously it happened to my children and I think in a way I could understand better, because of course, I understand about loss. I really tried to be the best mum that I could for them,” she said.
Anna then grew visibly emotional as she said: “I think sometimes I failed in that and I sort of pick myself up and apologise and trundle on.”
Having composed herself, the star continued: “I just think it’s so individual, it’s so hard… We all feel it. Do you know I can say, I know this is a real cliché, but I do think it’s true.
“It has made me, bizarrely, such a positive, tenacious person. So actually in the end, it’s been really f****** hard – I’m not going to lie to you. But it makes me just smash the doors off of life.”
The Assembly is available to stream on ITVX