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Richard E. Grant reflected on his "complicated relationship" with his mother as he announced her death on Thursday.
The Withnail & I actor posted a video on Twitter on Thursday night in which he revealed he had received eight missed calls from Africa earlier that day and immediately knew that his mother, Leonne Esterhuysen, had passed away.
"We had an incredibly complicated relationship and she was somebody that was, for me anyway, emotionally withdrawn and withheld her approbation or approval of anything. So nothing was ever quite good enough," he shared.
"But what that proved to be is a great motor for ambition and determination to try and prove yourself and be the best that you possibly can. And yet, ironically, whatever she did, she demanded and got applause and approval from everybody around her, including me."
The 66-year-old revealed that he stayed with his mum for two weeks shortly after the death of his wife, Joan Washington, in 2021.
"(My mother) sent me a very terse email at the end of the trip saying, 'I regret to say this was an absolute disaster. We only have two things in common: books and classical music,'" he recalled.
The actor, who was born and raised in the African country formerly known as Swaziland, went on to explain that he became a loving and affectionate person as a result of his relationship with his mum.
"So whereas she was very physically untactile, I've gone the opposite extreme, so I've been a very tactile and loving father and husband, I suppose in response to that," he stated.
Concluding the video, Richard said, "Do I feel sadness that she has died? I feel resignation more than anything. But most of all, gratitude for having given me life."
He captioned the clip, "Complicated gratitude to my Mother, who died this morning at the age of 93, for giving me the Gift of Life."
Richard and Joan were married from 1986 until her death in September 2021 after a battle with lung cancer. They share a 34-year-old daughter named Olivia.
The Withnail & I actor posted a video on Twitter on Thursday night in which he revealed he had received eight missed calls from Africa earlier that day and immediately knew that his mother, Leonne Esterhuysen, had passed away.
"We had an incredibly complicated relationship and she was somebody that was, for me anyway, emotionally withdrawn and withheld her approbation or approval of anything. So nothing was ever quite good enough," he shared.
"But what that proved to be is a great motor for ambition and determination to try and prove yourself and be the best that you possibly can. And yet, ironically, whatever she did, she demanded and got applause and approval from everybody around her, including me."
The 66-year-old revealed that he stayed with his mum for two weeks shortly after the death of his wife, Joan Washington, in 2021.
"(My mother) sent me a very terse email at the end of the trip saying, 'I regret to say this was an absolute disaster. We only have two things in common: books and classical music,'" he recalled.
The actor, who was born and raised in the African country formerly known as Swaziland, went on to explain that he became a loving and affectionate person as a result of his relationship with his mum.
"So whereas she was very physically untactile, I've gone the opposite extreme, so I've been a very tactile and loving father and husband, I suppose in response to that," he stated.
Concluding the video, Richard said, "Do I feel sadness that she has died? I feel resignation more than anything. But most of all, gratitude for having given me life."
He captioned the clip, "Complicated gratitude to my Mother, who died this morning at the age of 93, for giving me the Gift of Life."
Richard and Joan were married from 1986 until her death in September 2021 after a battle with lung cancer. They share a 34-year-old daughter named Olivia.