EXCLUSIVE: Friends’ Helen Baxendale looks sombre in first sighting since Matthew Perry’s sudden death – amid claims main cast are ‘working on a joint statement’ about last co-star

Friends star Helen Baxendale looked somber as she was spotted for the first time since the death of her former co-star, Matthew Perry.

Perry was found dead in his hot tub on Saturday afternoon due to a suspected drowning, although the LA County coroner’s office currently lists the case status of the actor’s death as “open.” An autopsy is planned.

Baxendale, 53, joined the sitcom in series four, playing Ross’s (David Schwimmer) English love interest Emily Waltham for 14 episodes.

The actress, who previously called the cast of Friends “very nice and professional,” stood out in Richmond on Monday as she walked her dog, kept her head down and checked her phone several times.

It’s been twenty years since she starred in the American sitcom, but her character starred in one of the show’s most memorable storylines.

Her relationship with Ross dominated series four of the show, with their wedding after Ross said his ex Rachel Green’s (Jennifer Aniston) name at the altar instead of hers.

Friends, which followed the lives of six friends in their twenties living in New York, was a huge success around the world when it aired between 1994 and 2004, and reruns are still hugely popular years later.

Perry played the role of Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom, alongside Aniston as Rachel, Courteney Cox as Monica, Matt LeBlanc as Joey, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe and Schwimmer as Ross.

The main stars have yet to break their silence on the death of their close friend – and are said to be ‘rocking’ after Perry’s sudden passing.

Showbiz correspondent Kinsey Schofield told GB News on Monday morning that the stars will release a joint statement in the coming days.

She told the channel: “New information is that the core cast of Friends is currently working on a joint statement to release.

“According to sources, they are reeling over the death of Matthew Perry, saying he was their brother and that they fiercely protected him during some of his toughest times.

“They believe this is incredibly unfair, according to one of Lisa Kudrow’s friends, and no one saw this coming because they felt like he was in a really good place and having one of his best years.”

The speculation follows a source telling Page Six that the cast is reeling from the loss of their “brother” Matthew.

“The cast is reeling from the loss of their brother, because that was Matty – their brother,” an industry source told the news station on Sunday, adding, “It’s just devastating.”

Baxendale’s involvement in the sitcom was recently brought up by TV director James Burrows, who claimed the actress was ‘nice but not funny’.

As a result, the attempt at comedy was “like clapping with one hand,” said the director, who noted that Schwimmer “had no one to bounce off of.”

Cold Feet star Helen previously said of the cast about her experience on Friends: ‘They were all very nice and professional. But we’ve never been good friends.

‘People expect, because it’s called Friends, that everyone was good friends, but they were real professionals. They had been doing it for years and I was one of many guest stars who performed.

‘I am very proud and happy to have been able to participate in such an incredibly successful and international show.’

‘It’s always a talking point and it was a very clever design – even now young people in particular seem to love it.

‘But it doesn’t feel like part of my life at all now. I think of it as a strange, surreal little mistake in my life, almost like a dream.”

Helen was written out of the sitcom earlier than the producers’ intentions were, as she and her partner, film director, producer and writer David L. Williams, were expecting their first child.

She told The Daily Mail in 2012 that she doesn’t regret leaving the show, noting: ‘I had a glimpse of what fame was all about, and I decided there was nothing in it. There was nothing in it that mattered.

‘Some people can handle that well; it sits fine on their shoulders. But it wasn’t for me.’

‘Friends were great fun, but I was just there so they could make funny jokes about England. And I expected it too, and in America you have to be thin.’

On Sunday afternoon, the coroner released his body to the family, but said they have not yet determined a cause of death.

The medical examiner’s office may release initial results within days, but it could also take six to eight weeks for final results from toxicology tests to come back.

An LAPD source told The New York Post, “We responded to the 1800 block of Blue Sail Rd at 4:10 this afternoon for an investigation into the death of a man. He was in his fifties.’

No drugs were found at the scene and authorities ruled out foul play.

Sources did say that antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, including pills for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), were found at the property.

Friends have said the star appeared ‘tired’ in his final days, and in his final Instagram post, shared earlier this week, he posted pictures of him in his pool.

The caption read: ‘Oh, so the warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman.’

Perry had a long struggle with drugs and alcohol, was a smoker and had multiple health problems.

Perry wrote in his memoir published last year that he spent $9 million to get sober. He revealed that he had attended 6,000 AA meetings, been to rehab 15 times and been in detox 65 times.

Perry, who never married but dated a number of stars including Julia Roberts, has been outspoken and public about his problems with drugs and alcohol.