Kate Beckinsale has described saying goodbye to her mother as “the hardest thing” she has ever done, after organising a celebration of life for the late actress Judy Loe. Loe died in July following a battle with stage four cancer, and the 51-year-old star took to Instagram to share photos from the event held at Chiswick House in west London.
In a lengthy post, Beckinsale wrote: “The only mandate you gave me over the years was that you wanted a celebration of your life and that no one was to wear black so no one did.” She added that the funeral and subsequent party “blew the f****** roof off Chiswick House”, with guests aged from three to their mid-80s dancing together.
The actress, who has a 26-year-old daughter Lily with former partner Michael Sheen, said she had struggled with the loss. “I think the hardest thing I have ever had to do was say goodbye to you and I haven’t managed it yet,” she wrote, adding that she still reaches for her phone to text her mother before realising she will not get a response.
Beckinsale also reflected on the love her mother inspired, noting that school friends from her own and her daughter’s generation attended. She said she hoped to learn to carry the “lump of cement” in her stomach better, but currently feels “blindsided and devastated”. She praised the relationships Loe nurtured, saying they provide a “soft place to land” when she is ready.
Earlier, the Underworld star had announced her mother’s death on Instagram, saying she was “paralysed” by grief. She wrote at the time: “I don’t want to post this. I am only posting this because I have had to register my mother’s death certificate… She died the night of July 15th in my arms after immeasurable suffering.”
