Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson has announced the death of her father Jim, who died on June 25 after a long battle with dementia. The 55-year-old TV presenter shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram, posting a series of photos including some from his time in hospital.
Father's final weeks in hospital
Jim, a former Church of England canon, spent his final two weeks in hospital with heart failure, pneumonia, and a collapsed lung. During this time, Anna and one of her brothers "set up camp" next to their father, comparing themselves to "two gargoyles guarding the entrance of a church" as they kept watch over him.
Anna wrote: "Death is strange. We spend our lives trying not to talk about it, until one day, it's the only thing in the room. We burst into this world fighting for breath, and so often we leave it in exactly the same way. It's messy, physical, and at times, totally undignified. Just like birth."
A will to live
Despite his failing body, Anna noted her father's astonishing will to live. She fed him grapes and tinned peaches, hoping that if he could get out of bed, they might have "another few weeks together" with him. He took his last breath on June 25, which was also her mother's birthday, a coincidence Anna described as "strange."
Extraordinary life
Anna spoke proudly of her father's life: "What an extraordinary life he's had...a working class lad from south east London, who knew he had a calling." Jim traveled the world, worked closely with every faith, met the Pope, and received his OBE from Queen Elizabeth, all while ministering to his congregation in the Church of England. His last great adventure was making the documentary "Love, Loss and Dementia" with Anna for Channel 4.
She described him as "fun-loving, private, difficult, thoughtful, and oh-so complex" but emphasized: "he was my Dad. And I loved him." She concluded: "He believed he was going to the company of Angels - I hope so very much that he's right. God bless, Dad."
