Alan Titchmarsh fights back tears as star of The Crown paid tribute to his late daughter during emotional chat
ALAN Titchmarsh fought back tears as a star of The Crown paid tribute to his late daughter.
The veteran TV presenter welcomed the actor onto his ITV show, Love Your Weekend.
James Murray, 49, is known for his work on hit shows such as Primeval and The Crown.
He played the controversial role of Prince Andrew in the hit Netflix series based on the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
During his chat with Alan, James recounted the loss of his baby daughter Ella-Jayne, who passed away at just eight months old from a congenital heart defect.
Alongside his wife, actress Sarah Parish, 56, he founded a charity to help young children in the south of the UK.
The actor opened up on the tragic loss of his daughter as he explained: “We lost Ella-Jayne in 2009, beginning of 2009, and we founded the charity a few years later.
“And we have raised, I think around £5million now for paediatric facilities across the south of England, predominantly Southampton Children’s Hospital, but that services eight counties.”
In the aftermath of their daughter’s passing, the pair spent two months working at an orphanage in Cambodia.
They then set up the Murray Parish Trust, which looks to raise funds for emergency paediatric care.
The actor chocked back the tears as he added: “We set that charity up as lots of people do who have been through trauma, as a kind of way of giving back and as a therapy, as displacement if you like of where to put your grief. And it just grew.
“We had no idea at the time at the bottom of the mountain, a good mountain, of just how big this was going to become.
“People have been so supportive and so generous.”
Alan, 75, seemed to be completely touched by the story in the gut-wrenching interview, and he couldn’t help but get emotional himself.
Responding to the actor’s candid story, he said: “It’s important to find outlets, and creative outlets if you can, for your energies which take you somewhere else.”
In 2019, his wife, former W1A star Sarah Parish, opened up about the harrowing experience of losing their daughter.
11 signs you might have heart disease
AROUND 7.6million people in the UK live with heart and circulatory diseases. Are you one of them?
If you notice any of the following symptoms, it is time to see a doctor.
- Chest pain
- Feeling sick
- Stomach pain or indigestion
- Feeling sweaty or clammy
- Leg pain
- Arm pain
- Jaw or back pain
- Choking sensation
- Swollen ankles
- Extreme fatigue
- Irregular heartbeat
Source: British Heart Foundation
“It changed us as people, definitely,” she told the Mail.
“It has to. And actually, the older you get, the more people you meet who have lost children.”
She added: “A lot of people lose children in far worse circumstances than Jim and me. Ella-Jayne was only eight months old, she was very poorly anyway, so we were already prepped for what could happen.
“Whereas I’ve met people along the way who had a healthy child, everything was good, and suddenly they’ve gone.
“I’ve known people who have lost their children at the age of 16. It’s just unbearable. It will always change you as a person. It’s changed us for the better, I think.”