Kirstie Allsopp recalls ‘carnage’ of burying her mother in the back garden: ‘It was fantastically dark and British’

TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp: Getty Images
TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp: Getty Images

Kirstie Allsopp has said that the “carnage” of burying her mother in the back garden made her realise the importance of funeral specialists.

In 2014, the Location, Location, Location presenter buried her mother, Lady Fiona Hindlip, in a plot at the end of her Dorset garden, next to the burial site of the family pony and in accordance with her last wishes. Allsopp immediately had regrets, however.

“I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,’ Allsopp told Times Radio. “I think there’s a reason that we hand over the bodies of people we love to people who are specialists in that field.”

Lady Hindlip fought breast cancer for 25 years, before leaving detailed instructions about how she would like to be buried and what clothing she would like to wear. Allsopp only learnt her mother’s cancer was terminal when she discovered that she had bought her own coffin, which had been stored in her mother’s attic.

“It is a little bit of a tyranny feeling that someone has left these very strong instructions you must adhere to,” Allsopp said, while recalling the series of disasters that occurred on the day of her mother’s funeral.

Allsopp, who also revealed she would like to be cremated in order to minimise fuss, most recently defended her decision to shoot a TV series under coronavirus lockdown.

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