Jane Horrocks reveals her heartache over her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s and says it has left her feeling ‘like an orphan’
She’s best known for her hilarious turn as a ditzy assistant in Absolutely Fabulous.
But making audiences laugh will be the last thing on Jane Horrocks’s mind as she says her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease has left her feeling like an ‘orphan’.
Miss Horrocks said she often speaks about her mother Barbara in the past tense despite her still being alive.
Grief: Jane Horrocks with her mother Barbara
Comic turn: Miss Horrocks, far left, with Ab Fab co-stars
Speaking to the On The Marie Curie Couch podcast, the 56-year-old said: ‘In effect I’ve been orphaned, yes. Even though my mum is still alive I do feel like… I am quite an orphan now. I suppose it makes me feel a bit rootless… and desperate to find something that’s grounded.’
The star’s father John developed Parkinson’s and dementia before his death eight years ago. She said she now feels ‘useless’ and ‘redundant’ as a daughter.
Miss Horrocks added: ‘I often refer to my mum in the past. People correct me and say: “Hang on a minute, I didn’t realise your mum had died”. I go: “Oh no, she’s not.”‘
Speaking about her grief, she said: ‘I have to put up a really strong barrier to deal with it. I’m in the process of moving house as well, and lots of things have changed recently in my life that I’ve thrown everything up in the air to see how things land.’
Miss Horrocks has a son Dylan, 22, and daughter Molly, 21, with her husband Nick Vivian.