Yahoo News The Crown's Jason Watkins opens up about heartbreaking loss of daughter
The Crown star Jason Watkins has opened up about the heartbreaking loss of his daughter.
The actor and wife Clara Francis tragically lost daughter Maude in 2011, when the two-year-old died of sepsis after being undiagnosed whilst suffering with the flu.
The couple, who have been married since 2014, have since worked to raise awareness of the condition, and filmed a documentary for ITV in honour of their daughter.
Jason & Clara: In Memory Of Maudie tonight at 9pm, ITV1 & ITVX.
Jason Watkins and his wife Clara Francis tell the emotional story of their daughter Maudie, who died suddenly aged just two and a half on New Year’s Day 2011, of undiagnosed sepsis. #InMemoryofMaudie @Jason__Watkins pic.twitter.com/KAioDojiwV— ITV Press Centre (@itvpresscentre) March 30, 2023
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Appearing on Good Morning Britain to promote Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, the couple spoke about their experience and what they hoped audiences would take from it.
“What we got out of it is difficult to quantify, because it was so difficult to make,” began Jason. “What we hoped for viewers to [see] is that we’re an imperfect family who have survived the worst thing that can happen to a parent.
“It’s to show audiences that you can survive,” he continued. “When you lose a child, it initially is indescribable. [You have] a sense of guilt and loss - the light of your life is gone and you don’t know how you can go on.
“I didn’t think I’d ever be able to laugh or smile again,” added Clara. “We thought [the documentary] was an opportunity not only to talk about sepsis, but also to talk about how it is possible to live a good life after such a terrible tragedy.
'We are an imperfect family who has survived the worst thing that can happen to a parent.'@Jason__Watkins explains why he and @clarabetsy made the documentary.
Clara tells @susannareid100 and @adilray that you find a way to 'carry your loved one through your life'. pic.twitter.com/J3jf00BWtN— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 30, 2023
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“I think if anybody has lost anyone that they love, they’re never going to get over it, but somehow you find a way to carry your loved one through your life,” she continued.
Watkins, who played Harold Wilson in the third season of The Crown, disclosed that he still had “difficulty going back to the joy” of being with Maude, adding that she was the most “extraordinary” and “happy” child.
Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie is available to stream on ITVX.
If you identify with the themes in this article, the NHS has resources available to help with grief counselling and other support in the UK. In the US, the CDC also has resources available for those grieving.
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