DOWNTON Abbey star Amy Nuttall has been left "crushed and crying almost every day" following her split from husband Andrew Buchan, pals have claimed. 

The Sun Online revealed today that Broadchurch actor Buchan had split with his wife over the Christmas period, and is now believed to be living with Leila Farzad, his co-star in new BBC drama, Better. 

Buchan and Nuttall had been married for 11 years, and together they have two children – a son and a daughter. 

Since the news broke, friends have come forward on behalf of Nuttall to say she and the children have taken the split hard. 

"It’s been very hard for Amy. She’s been crying virtually every day since it happened and she’s struggling to cope with things," one told MailOnline. 

"She can’t even bring herself to talk about it as she’s still trying to make sense of it all." 

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When approached for comment, Nuttall told the site that she "can't talk about it". 

Better dropped on BBC One two weeks ago, and tells the story of a bent copper, DI Lou Slack (played by Farzad) who has a 20-year allegiance with a career criminal Col McHugh (played by Buchan). 

When her son is rushed to hospital while she's completing a job for Col, Lou's guilt begins to set in as she decides to cut ties with gangster and build a better life. 

But after so many years of them working alongside each other, that's easier said than done, with Col himself having his own feelings about where he stands in life. 

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Filming took place last year. 

Around the same time of Better dropping on TV, Amy dropped a post on Instagram that read: "I am not impressed by money, social status or job title, I'm impressed by the way someone treats other human beings."

Buchan is believed to have told his wife their 11-year marriage was over shortly before Christmas – to the astonishment of their friends.

A source close to the pair said: “For Andrew to walk away from his family was a huge shock to us all – and Amy is heartbroken.

“Everyone who knows them thought they were going to be together forever.

“But he’s packed his bags and left with his new co-star.

“Whatever has gone on, it seems to have been enough for him to re-evaluate his whole life and rip up their marriage.

“Nobody is quite sure of the exact details, but Andrew has clearly had his head turned pretty dramatically.”

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