The 34-year-old Sherlock Holmes star and his actress girlfriend split this March after 10 years together.

The pair met while at university together in Manchester and had recently talked about having children.

A source told the Daily Mail that they were "together for a long time but it just wasn't working anymore".

Benedict is currently starring in Danny Boyle's theatre production of Frankenstein, while Olivia has starred in political satire The Thick of It, Outnumbered and The Bill.