Richard E. Grant has revealed he ‘rescued’ friends from his life following the death of his beloved wife of 35 years, Joan Washington.
The actor has an impressive social circle and shared a photo from a star-studded dinner he hosted at his West London home this weekend.
Fans cheered on Richard’s 69th birthday on their ‘fantasy dinner guest list’, which included stars like Christine Baranski, Steve MartinMartin Short and his son Henry, Sir Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter showed up to party with his daughter Olivia.
But in a new interview, Richard has explained how his friendship group shrank after Joan died.
Dialect coach Joan died in 2021 at the age of 74, just eight months after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer two days before Christmas.
He was heartbroken that some of his so-called friends crossed the street to avoid an awkward conversation, instead of offering him comfort after losing his wife.
Five years later, Richard says he can’t forgive them, as he said The Sunday times: ‘I am very unambiguous, black and white, all or nothing. I tried to go for the gray areas, but that didn’t work for long.
Richard E Grant has revealed he ‘saved’ friends from his life after the death of his beloved wife of 35 years, Joan Washington
Stars including Christine Baranski, Steve Martin, Sir Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Short turn up to party with his daughter Olivia
“There are people who have been cut out of my life and I will never see them again. If I had done that to them, I wouldn’t be able to look them in the eye. People do everything they can not to talk about death.’
When the interviewer suggested that these people might have good intentions, Richard thought before replying, “No, portcullis down. Goodbye.’
Richard added that he has learned to cope with grief, but there isn’t a day he doesn’t wake up and remember what happened.
The actor said he finds it ‘impossible’ to understand that Joan will never hold their grandchild after their daughter Olivia gave birth to a baby boy in June.
He said, “I have had this overwhelming feeling that you are part of the cycle of life. You have experienced death and now there is birth. I immediately thought: how many Christmases should I share with the grandchild? That’s what motivates you: how many years of life you have left.’
Richard and Joan met in 1982 at the Actors Center in Covent Garden, where she was teaching. She was ten years older than him and at the top of her profession, while he was a struggling young actor who had just arrived from Swaziland, now Eswatini.
The couple married in 1986 and had their daughter, Olivia.
In a new interview, Richard revealed that his friendship group got a lot smaller after Joan passed away (pictured with Joan and his daughter Olivia in 2019)
The actor said he finds it “impossible” to understand that Joan will never hold their grandchild. In June, their daughter Olivia gave birth to a baby boy
Their journey to parenthood was not easy. The couple suffered heartbreak when they lost their first child together, who died shortly after birth, and Joan suffered multiple miscarriages.
But she was determined that they would keep trying – and Olivia’s arrival was the gift that made their family complete.
When Joan died in 2021, Richard announced her passing with a moving video of the pair dancing together, writing about his love for the “Giver of life to our daughter Olivia.”
The actor is remarkably open about his grief. He has spoken of crying every day, writing to Joan every night and having what he calls a “constant silent conversation” with the woman he describes as the love of his life.
