Kate Beckinsale has shared an emotional tribute to her stepfather, Roy Battersby, on the second anniversary of his passing. The 52-year-old actress admitted she was overwhelmed by “fatigue and sadness” as she reflected on the death of the TV director, who passed away aged 87 in January 2024.
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Alongside a series of photographs of herself with Roy, Kate wrote on Instagram: “I can tell I’m still futilely trying to outrun my grief because I have found it so difficult to go through my phone to find photographs of you on the second anniversary of your not being here. What I know only too well about anniversary grief is that if you are not on top of it or are distracted by other griefs, you may not even know the date in the calendar, but your body knows it, and fatigue and sadness overwhelms you and then you remember.”
The Aviator star added: “I miss you so very much. I am so glad you’re not seeing what is happening in the world which you absolutely predicted decades ago. I love you, Roy. I hated this first year of not buying you snazzy old man outfits for Christmas. Sleep tight. Roy Battersby April 20 1936 – January 10 2024.”
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Kate, who was only five when her father Richard Beckinsale died of a heart attack aged 31, also lost her mother, Judy Loe, last July aged 78. Speaking about her recent weight loss, she explained that it was the result of her body “closing down” after the deaths of her mother and stepfather. She said: “2025 was a really, really hard year. It was also the last year that my incredible mum was on this planet. I watched my 31-year-old father die, then my stepfather, and my mother degenerate and die. Such an incredible amount of suffering and what I will say, it doesn’t make you feel very hungry. It’s not like anorexia; it’s like your body has closed down. I think it’s shock and trauma.”
