Kate Beckinsale announces death of mother Judy Loe, aged 78
Kate Beckinsale has announced the death of her mother Judy Loe, aged 78.
The 51-year-old British actor, who is known for her roles in films including Van Helsing, Love and Friendship, and Underworld, shared the news in an emotive post on Instagram on Friday (18 July), saying she had been left “paralysed” by grief.
The news comes two years after Beckinsale revealed her mother had stage four cancer and a week after she shared since-deleted footage of herself at her hospital bedside. An official cause of death is yet to be revealed.
“I don’t want to post this,” wrote the star, alongside a carousel of images of Loe.
“I am only posting this because I have had to register my mother‘s death certificate and it will soon become public record. She died the night of 15 July in my arms after immeasurable suffering.”
She continued: “I have not picked all the best photos, nor the best videos, because I cannot bear to go through my camera roll yet. I deeply apologise to any of her friends who are finding out this way or through the press, but I cannot go through her phone.
“I am paralysed. Jude was the compass of my life, the love of my life, my dearest friend. The vastness and huge heart of this tiny woman has touched so many people who love her dearly. She has been brave in so many ways, forgiving sometimes too much, believing in the ultimate good in people and the world is so dim without her that it is nearly impossible to bear.”
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Born in Urmston, Lancashire, Loe spent the majority of her life as an actor, being cast as one of the original members of the musical Hair and making her TV debut in Ace of Wands in 1970. She went on to appear in Z-Cars, Edward the Seventh, General Hospital, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, Inspector Morse, and most recently was seen as Jan Goddard in Casualty and Holby City in the 2000s.
Beckinsale’s step-father and Loe’s husband Roy Battersby, an actor known for his roles in Between the Lines, Inspector Morse and Cracker, died last year after suffering a stroke and having two forms of cancer. Beckinsale, who found her biological father dead aged five, admitted that ever since that discovery, her mother’s death had been her “greatest fear”.
“Mama, I love you so much.,” the actor continued. “This has been my greatest fear since finding my father dead at five and I am here. Oh my Mama. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I am so sorry.”
Earlier this month, she responded to people commenting on her apparent weight loss, saying she had been experiencing a “deeply painful” time.
“I’m going through one of the most deeply painful times of my life. The body keeps the score,” she wrote.
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