Each year, actor Jason Watkins and his wife Clara Francis take a memorable walk through London's Hampstead Heath to commemorate the memory of their late two-year-old daughter. Within the park grounds lies a bench in memory of Jason's daughter Maude who tragically passed away from sepsis 12 years ago on New Year's Day, the Mirror reports.
This year to mark the poignant day, Jason also shared an image of his beloved daughter on Twitter which he captioned: “Each anniversary hurts. Each year so different. Another year, without our Maude. Our time together can feel like a dream, cruel, just out of reach.
“But look closely, she is smiling. She brought joy – and if we are brave enough, she still does.” The actor's heartfelt social media post was viewed over one million times as the Crown Star reveals his main reason for sharing it is to help himself and his wife, as well as other grieving parents to cope with their loss.
The 56-year-old added: "Clara and I both get quite emotional on that day and in the lead-up to the anniversary. We just walk to her bench as a family, and with friends, then everyone comes back to our house. It’s a nice thing to do.”
He continues: "Both Clara and I share messages on social media, we try and express a little bit of how we are feeling. The reason is not just to share how we are and information about sepsis, but it also allows us to help other people.”
In 2011, Jason and Clara took Maude to A&E twice but were reassured by doctors the youngster just had a chest infection. Maude's sister Bessie, then four, later found her sibling in bed unresponsive.
An inquest into the toddler's death found Maude had died from sepsis which happens when the immune system attacks its own tissue. If not caught quickly enough, it leads to organ failure and then death.
Jason, who had his son Gilbert with Clara after Maude passed away, also has two older boys Freddie and Pip from his first marriage to actress Caroline Harding and he now campaigns to spread awareness about the tell tale signs of sepsis. Some of these include mottled skin, a rash that doesn't go away when pressed, lethargy and heavy breathing.
It's estimated around 1,000 children in the UK die each year from sepsis but losses are preventable if caught and treated early. Jason's family have taken part in a documentary about Maude which is due to be released later this year.
He reveals: “It is all about offering comfort and context to families suffering like ours, and for information on sepsis. There’s a golden hour you have to jump on, you have to keep asking, ‘is it sepsis?’
"If any symptoms are present, and you feel they are even if they aren’t – ask. Hopefully we can make a difference.”
One part that Jason admitted he found particularly difficult to film was visiting an A&E department. He said: “A lot of the difficulties with sepsis diagnosis in children are sadly down to money.
"The skills and expertise are there in the NHS it’s funding it which is difficult. The Government needs to step up and place money where it’s needed.”
The star, who was born in Shropshire, started out as a theatre actor with a succession of roles in the West End. He went on to win a BAFTA TV award in 2015 for Best Actor after his lead role in The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies about a teacher questioned over the murder of Joanna Yeates.
He dedicated his prize to Maude, saying: “At the heart of it, someone has lost their daughter and I understand what that is. All my efforts in doing it were fuelled by a sense of grief.”
Jason is due to be back on TV in another role about loss net week. Maude was at the forefront of his mind while he spent seven weeks filming in Ireland for his leading part in Channel 5 thriller The Catch. Jason plays Ed Collier, a Cornwall-based fisherman and bereaved father who is determined to do all he possibly can to keep his family together.
He said: “Although The Catch isn’t just about loss, for me it was and certainly for my character, so because of the material it was difficult not to go home. I missed my family dreadfully.”
The star says he was keen to do justice to the harrowing scenes to showcase the raw emotion behind real grief. He explained: "I felt we should do those scenes properly, not cheat them, as the way they were written was powerful.
“A couple of them, it was just me and a cameraman so I had loads of distance and space. The crew were so understanding. It was very moving, and I hope that comes across.”
Jason built up a close relationship with his co-stars while filming which include Sherwood's Poppy Gilbert who plays Ed's daughter Abbie and Peaky Blinders' Aneurin Barnard, who plays Ryan Wilson, Poppy’s new boyfriend. The 56-year-old also recently played Winston Churchill in hit BBC drama SAS Rogue Heroes, borrowing Gary Oldman’s fat suit from the 2017 film Darkest Hour, which the latter won an Oscar for.
He said: “I did lots of work leading up to it. I’m sniffing around for another Churchill role. I thought, ‘there is a lot I could do with this’." However, for now Jason is enjoying his family life in a newly-renovated house as he states: “There’s room for us all to be together. We’re doing really well.”
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