Alan Titchmarsh teary as The Crown’s James Murray honors late daughter

Alan Titchmarsh was left close to tears while interviewing actor James Murray in a recent episode of his ITV show, Love Your Weekend. Murray, known for his role as Prince Andrew in Netflix’s The Crown, discussed the heart-wrenching loss of his baby daughter, Ella-Jayne, who passed away at eight months old in January 2009 due to a congenital heart defect.

Following Ella-Jayne’s death, Murray and his wife, Piglets star Sarah Paris, channeled their grief into positive action by engaging in charity work. Initially, they worked at an orphanage in Cambodia before establishing their own philanthropic trust. Their foundation focuses on raising funds for paediatric emergency medicine in southern England.

During their conversation, Titchmarsh became visibly emotional as he commended Murray for his efforts: “You’ve done a heck of a lot of work for Southampton hospital because of Ella-Jayne. You lost a child and you have raised millions, the two of you, with the Murray Parish Trust, for equipment for Southampton Hospital. And that goes on, presumably, does it?”

Murray confirmed, “That keeps going on. We lost Ella-Jayne at the beginning of 2009 and we founded the charity a few years later.”

Reflecting on their charitable endeavors, Murray revealed that their foundation has successfully raised about £5 million, primarily benefiting the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Southampton Children’s Hospital where Ella-Jayne spent nearly half her life.

“We set that charity up, as lots of people do who have been through trauma, as a way of giving back and as a therapy, as displacement if you like of where to put your grief. And it just grew,” explained Murray.

Murray and Parish met on the set of BBC’s 2002 hairdressing drama Cutting It. They married in 2007 and welcomed their daughter Nell in November 2009, nine months after Ella-Jayne’s passing.

In a 2019 interview with The Independent, Parish described how she coped with her grief by slowing down and “taking it five minutes at a time.” She elaborated, “It was the only way I could handle it. But your body and mind has an amazing way of recovering. I think back and I can’t really emotionally connect to it anymore.”

The actress previously shared with OK! Magazine that she continues to write a birthday card for Ella-Jayne each year, preserving them as cherished memories. “Every year I write her a birthday card and keep it for us,” she said. “There are sad days but also happy days. We have a lot to be thankful for.”

Ella-Jayne was born prematurely, and doctors discovered a heart abnormality. She spent several months in an intensive care unit undergoing emergency surgeries in attempts to save her. According to the NHS, congenital heart disease encompasses various birth defects affecting normal heart function. It is one of the most common birth defects, occurring in nearly 1 in 100 babies born in the UK.

Murray and Parish’s philanthropic trust continues to be a beacon of hope and support for families dealing with similar hardships, turning their personal tragedy into a mission of compassion and generosity.