Actress Dawn French has called for assisted dying to be legalised in the UK, saying it's a no-brainer decision. She also addressed her fears of ageing and spoke about her father's suicide, detailing the anger, confusion and grief she felt after his passing.
Dawn French has called for assisted dying to be legalised in the UK, saying it's a no-brainer decision. Speaking to Good Housekeeping for their July issue, the Vicar of Dibley star said it's a no-brainer, really, as long as all the correct protocols are in place, everybody's permission is given and it's for all the right reasons.
I just don't get why we haven't approved it in this country. It feels merciless to me not to. Broadcasters Dame Esther Rantzen and Dame Prue Leith are among the celebrities who actively support assisted dying. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was first supported in principle by MPs in the House of Commons in 2024.
Last year, it cleared the Commons with a majority of 23. However, last month it ran out of time to become law after it stalled in the House of Lords. Dawn, 68, who posed in a monochrome dress as well as a white blouse for the Good Housekeeping cover, also addressed her fears of ageing. She said I feel extremely troubled by everything.
The world seems hopeless right now. The idea of getting older, of being vulnerable, of no longer being independent - those things are all daunting.
Dawn French has called for assisted dying to be legalised in the UK, saying it's a no-brainer decision Speaking to Good Housekeeping, she said it's a no-brainer, really, as long as all the correct protocols are in place, everybody's permission is given and it's for all the right reasons I just don't get why we haven't approved it in this country. It feels merciless to me not to.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was first supported in principle by MPs in the House of Commons in 2024. The full interview is in the new issue of Good Housekeeping UK, on sale now. The actress's comments come after she said she blamed herself for not foreseeing her father's suicide as she detailed the anger, confusion and grief she felt after his passing.
Denys Vernon French tragically took his own life aged 45 back in 1977, when Ms French was just 19. Dawn, who was appearing on ITV's This Morning to promote her new book Enough, said Because of what happened to my dad, I guess I have had a lifetime of processing what happened... When I was 19 of course, I was furious, angry, confused, full of grief.
As I have grown older, tried to understand mental ill health, which I do understand, you forgive. And then also, I have really thought this subject is something we need to talk about... Not put all this shame, taboo stuff, back in the day, this was illegal, sinful. I am the living proof you can get through something like this.
You need to talk about it to understand it. Dawn continued to say that blame is everywhere around suicide, and her mother lived with a certain amount of that as well. She added That's why the more we talk about it, that's why everyone's experience is different. Everyone's reason is different.
My dad was an incredibly engaged dad. A cheerful man. But he had these black dogs, when they came, he took to his bed, they were deep and dark. As kids, we didn't even know that.
What we had was a great fun, dad for most of the time. The full interview is in the new issue of Good Housekeeping UK, on sale now
Dawn French Assisted Dying UK Legalisation Terminally Ill Adults Bill
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