While Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington graces the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor, she'll have the unwavering support of her fiancé, Jonathan Goodwin.

Their love story began in 2021, culminating in a whirlwind engagement only days after their first meeting. However, just months after their initial encounter, Jonathan faced a horrific accident that left him paralyzed for life.

Jonathan Goodwin, aged 43, was a stuntman, but in 2021, a daring stunt went terribly wrong. He was crushed by two flaming cars while trying to escape from a straitjacket, hanging upside down 30 feet in the air as part of the now-defunct show America's Got Talent: Extreme.

During the life changing stunt, Jonathan was supposed to free himself from his restraints before the two cars on either side of him collided. However, the stunt went far from as planned, and Jonathan was unable to escape in time after the cars were released too early.

This meant he was struck from both sides by the cars, which then exploded on impact and sent him crashing to the ground. In the ensuing fall, he also missed the air mattress that was supposed to cushion his fall and, instead, hit his head on the ground.

Reflecting on the catastrophe, Amanda said: "The stunt was dangerous, but I knew Jonathan was a perfectionist, so I didn't think any more about it. When I woke up the following morning, there was a voicemail from his stunt coordinator: 'Jonathan's had an accident. It's not great news.' Then it all became a crazy whirlwind: finding out what had happened and flying his family out there."

Amanda went on to recount the extent of Jonathan's injuries, explaining that he had lost a kidney, broken both shoulder blades, shattered both legs, fractured his spine, and severed his spinal cord.

The injury was so severe that Jonathan called Amanda prior to surgery in fear that he might not make it through. Fortunately, he pulled through, and Amanda said that he's going from "strength to strength" in his recovery.

During an appearance on Lorraine, Amanda, who was previously married to Martin Freeman, expressed her admiration for Jonathan: "He's amazing, he makes me smile. I love him to bits; he's going from strength to strength. I forget he's in a wheelchair; he's independent and strong. He's genuinely my hero; I don't know what I'd do without him. He's so supportive and gorgeous. The wedding is happening in the summer."

In the aftermath of the accident, Jonathan emotionally told Amanda that he'd understand if she chose to leave him, saying: "You have a get-out-of-jail-free card; if you want to walk away, I understand," but she assured him she wasn't going anywhere.

Speaking on Instagram following the accident, Jonathan wrote: “To death I say nananana boo boo.

"I have been to the very brink and dodged the worst that a human being can, without fear… because I was protected by love.

“Love is all you need, so make sure you get some, cos its good s***.

"There is a long road to recovery and that won't look like what it did… I may leave the daft s*** alone for a while, but I have a lot left to do in this world. Maybe we can make something good together?”

The pair had been social media friends for over a decade before embarking on a relationship following Amanda’s split from Martin.

In a romantic twist, Jonathan proposed to Amanda within 30 minutes of their first meeting in Vienna, with the pair happily engaged as of October 2021.

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