Alan Titchmarsh was left close to tears after interviewing actor James Murray on 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 discuss his charity work after the tragic loss of his baby daughter, leaving Alan, 75, emotional.
In 2009 he and his wife, the actress Sarah Parish, lost their daughter Ella-Jayne at just eight months old to a congenital heart defect.
Opening up about the tragic loss of their daughter, James and Sarah – who married in 2007 – decided to try and channel their devastating loss into a positive.
James explained how he and his wife in the aftermath of Ella-Jayne’s passing spent two months working at an orphanage in Cambodia before setting up the Murray Parish Trust, which raises funds for paediatric emergency medicine in the south of England.
Alan Titchmarsh was left close to tears after interviewing actor James Murray on his ITV show, Love Your Weekend
James, 49, appeared on the show to discuss his charity work after the tragic loss of his baby daughter, leaving Alan, 75, emotional
Opening up about the tragic loss of their daughter, James and Sarah – who married in 2007 – decided to try and channel their devastating loss into a positive
Speaking on Sunday’s episode, gardening expert Alan asked: ‘You’ve done a heck of a lot of work for Southhampton hospital because of Ella-Jayne.
‘You lost a child and you have raised millions, the two of you, with the Murray Parish Trust, for equipment for Southhampton Hospital. And that goes on, presumably, does it?’
Nearly in tears James explained: ‘That keeps going on. That just keeps… We lost Ella-Jayne at the beginning of 2009 and we founded the charity a few years later.’
As he addressed his daughter’s tragic loss, the emotional actor continued: ‘We’ve raised, I think around £5million now for paediatric facilities across the south of England, predominantly as you say Southhampton Children’s Hospital, but that services eight counties.
Chocking back tears he added: ‘We set that charity up as lots of people do who have been through trauma, as a way of giving back and as a therapy, as displacement if you like of where to put your grief. And it just grew.’
Speaking to the MailOnline in 2019, Sarah said that before the death of her daughter she had a ‘very easy life’, but the harrowing experience made her ‘a better person’.
She said: ‘It changed us as people, definitely. It has to. And actually, the older you get, the more people you meet who have lost children.
‘A lot of people lose children in far worse circumstances than Jim and me. Ella-Jayne was only eight months old, she was very poorly anyway, so we were already prepped for what could happen.
James explained how he and his wife in the aftermath of Ella-Jayne’s passing spent two months working at an orphanage in Cambodia before setting up the Murray Parish Trust
James and his actress wife Sarah Parish (pictured) married in 2007 and have another daughter Nell but speak candidly about the loss of Ella-Jayne
‘Whereas I’ve met people along the way who had a healthy child, everything was good, and suddenly they’ve gone.
‘I’ve known people who have lost their children at the age of 16. It’s just unbearable. It will always change you as a person. It’s changed us for the better, I think.’
The 56-year-old star has previously spoken out on how 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 also happy days. We have a lot to be thankful for.’
After being born five weeks prematurely and being diagnosed with a hole in her heart, while Sarah was still pregnant, the couple spent the next four months trying everything to save their daughter.
Following her birth they spent the next four months in intensive care after two emergency operations and sadly passed away in the following January.
