Alan Titchmarsh was nearly in tears after interviewing actor James Murray for his ITV show Love Your Weekend.
James, 49, who is best known for his TV roles in Primeval and The Crown, appeared on the show to talk about his charity work following the tragic loss of his daughter, which left Alan, 75, emotional.
In 2009, he and his wife, actress Sarah Parish, lost their daughter Ella-Jayne when she was just eight months old to a congenital heart defect.
James and Sarah, who married in 2007, opened up about the tragic loss of their daughter and decided to turn their tragic loss into something positive.
James explained how after Ella-Jayne’s death, he and his wife worked in an orphanage in Cambodia for two months before setting up the Murray Parish Trust, a charity that raises money for emergency care for children in the south of England.
Alan Titchmarsh was nearly in tears after an interview with actor James Murray on his ITV show, Love Your Weekend
James, 49, appeared on the show to discuss his charity work following the tragic loss of his baby daughter, leaving Alan, 75, emotional
James and Sarah, who married in 2007, opened up about the tragic loss of their daughter and decided to try to turn their devastating loss into something positive.
Garden expert Alan asked in Sunday’s episode: ‘Thanks to Ella-Jayne, you’ve done an incredible amount of work for Southampton Hospital.
‘You’ve lost a child and you’ve raised millions, the two of you, with the Murray Parish Trust, for equipment for Southampton Hospital. And that’s going to continue, I presume, right?’
Nearly in tears, James explained: ‘It just keeps going. It just keeps going… We lost Ella-Jayne in early 2009 and we set up the charity a few years later.’
Discussing the tragic loss of his daughter, the emotional actor continued: ‘We’ve raised, I think, about £5 million for children’s hospitals in the south of England, mainly as you say Southampton Children’s Hospital, but that serves eight counties.
Holding back tears, he added: ‘We started that charity like a lot of people do who have experienced trauma, as a way to give back and as therapy, as a way to move your grief. And it’s just grown from there.’
Sarah told MailOnline in 2019 that she had had a ‘really easy life’ before her daughter’s death, but that the horrific experience had made her ‘a better person’.
She said, ‘It’s changed us as people, absolutely. It has to. And actually, the older you get, the more people you meet who have lost children.
‘Many people lose children in much worse circumstances than Jim and I. Ella-Jayne was only eight months old, she was already very ill, so we were already prepared for what could happen.
James explained how after Ella-Jayne’s death he and his wife worked in an orphanage in Cambodia for two months before setting up the Murray Parish Trust
James and his actress wife Sarah Parish (pictured) married in 2007 and had another daughter, Nell, but have spoken candidly about the loss of Ella-Jayne
‘While along the way I met people who had a healthy child, everything was fine, and suddenly they were gone.
“I know people who lost their children at 16. It’s just unbearable. It will always change you as a person. It changed us for the better, I think.”
The 56-year-old star previously revealed that she likes to write a birthday card to Ella-Jayne, which she then keeps for her and James to cherish.
In an interview with OK!, Sarah said, “Every year I write her a birthday card and keep it for us,” adding, “There are sad days, but there are also happy days. We have a lot to be thankful for.”
After Sarah was born five weeks premature and diagnosed with a hole in her heart while still pregnant, the couple spent the next four months trying everything they could to save their daughter.
After her birth, they spent the next four months in intensive care, following two emergency surgeries. Sadly, she passed away in January of that year.