Celebs tackle taboo of death in new podcast
Press release published
- ‘Grief is like a cheese grater’ - Janet Ellis
- ‘He grabbed my hand at one stage and kissed it. That was a nice moment, and unlike him’ – Adam Buxton
- ‘It was the first moment I ever considered that my mum was mortal’ - Dustin Lance Black
Marie Curie has today launched On the Marie Curie Couch, a podcast serieswherecelebrities explore how they feel about their mortality in an in-depth, therapeutic conversation where they’re encouraged to talk about how their personal experiences of bereavement has shaped their lives.
The series launches with Adam Buxton, Dustin Lance Black and Janet Ellis who candidly open-up about their personal experiences, and episodes with Alison Steadman, Owen Jones, Beverley Knight, Janice Long and Greg Wise will be released in the coming weeks.
The thought-provoking podcast is hosted by Marie Curie bereavement specialist Jason Davidson. Through his years of working in palliative care he expertly creates a supportive environment for his guests to share their experiences and end-of-life plans.
In the very first episode comedian, writer and actor Adam Buxton speaks openly about his father, Nigel, who died in 2015:
“I had this idea that [during the last moments] he's going to be saying, 'You know, Adam, I always wanted to say, I was very proud of you when you did this, and I may not have ever told you’ [but] no, you don't get any of that. Instead, he zoned out, didn't really talk very much… and would come in and out of lucidity.
“There were little moments when he would make a connection. He grabbed my hand at one stage and kissed it. That was a nice moment, and unlike him.”
Janet Ellis, broadcaster, actress and novelist, reflects on the impact her husband’s cancer diagnosis has had, and the deaths of her parents:
“Grief, I think, is like a cheese grater…it’s got lots of different sides and sometimes it’s the big sort, which is obvious to everybody, because it slices them too. Other times it’s small. It’s not often the predictable things.”
Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning filmmaker, writer and activist poignantly discusses his mother’s deaths:
“I was headed to London [when] I got the call from my step-dad saying, 'Turn around and come back. Your mum lost consciousness, her heart stopped.'
“The ambulances showed up very quickly and got her to the hospital. Our taxi cab is now racing towards the hospital…I'm terror-struck. I never, though, thought she might die. It was only [after] the cab driver said, 'Whatever will be now, will be,' [when I realised] it was the first moment I ever considered that my mum was mortal.”
The first On the Marie Curie Couch episodes areavailable now to download from ACast, iTunes or wherever you listen to or download your podcasts, you can also listen at www.mariecurie.org.uk/talkabout/podcast. Further episodes will be released in the coming weeks.
Notes to editor
To listen to the trailer for the first episode of On the Marie Curie Couch with Adam Buxton, click here.
To further help people start thinking, sharing and planning for the end of life, the charity has launched the first ever nationwide TV advert to break down the taboo around death and dying - ‘Whatever you call it, we should all talk about it’
Marie Curie has also revamped its award-winning blog with a brand-new site Talkabout, and produced a special deck of conversation cards designed to help friends and families open up about their plans.
Marie Curie – care and support through terminal illness
- Marie Curie is the UK’s leading charity for people with any terminal illness. The charity helps people living with a terminal illness and their families make the most of the time they have together by delivering expert hands-on care, emotional support, research and guidance. Marie Curie employs more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, and with its nine hospices around the UK, is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.