Food journalist and chef Dame Mary Berry has made a plea to the British public to check in with their bereaved loved ones this Christmas after losing her son.
Festive periods can be strange after a loved one passes, and loneliness can result. The most important time to contact anyone bereaved is a few weeks after the funeral, she says.
Mary Berry urges people to check in on bereaved loved ones this Christmas after death of son
Speaking to MailOnline, foodie and national icon Mary said it’s vital to continue supporting friends and family members long after their period of bereavement starts.
And especially at times of year when they might be most acutely aware of their loss, such as Christmas.
Dame Mary’s son William died in 1989 in a car accident. He was just 19 years old at the time.
She says she learned from her experiences “how important it is to communicate or to talk with people who have lost one of their family members or a friend”.
Mary adds: “And not to walk down the street and cross to the other side of the road, but to go and just say something and try and remember something, a situation that you remember – how skillful they were, and what they won here – to get them to talk.”
Relax about whether or not you’re able to attend the relevant funeral, she says. What’s more important is the care you show in the weeks afterwards.
What happened to Mary Berry’s son William?
During an episode of Gyles Brandreth’s podcast Rosebud, Mary explained the circumstances surrounding her son William’s death.
“He asked if he could borrow a sports car,” she said. “Which he was insured for. And I said ‘You ask your dad.’
“And he just drove too fast, which was so unlike him.”
“William was the one that you could rely on,” Mary explained. “When the phone rang after he was killed, everybody said ‘I’m so sorry to hear about Thomas,’ because Thomas was our wild one.”
Mary and her husband Paul Hunnings married in 1966 and have three children together: Thomas, William and Annabel.
Mary added: “I knew when the policemen came through door. I remember saying to him, ‘It must be an awful thing for you to tell us all.’”
She said she was “immensely lucky” to have her husband.
“I have other friends who’ve had tragedies and the husband and wife argue,” she went on. “Or don’t comfort each other.
“We just felt fortunate to still have Thomas and Annabel. People were very, very kind.”
And her fans came out in with words of encouragement, condolence and support.
“We had 400 letters,” she said. “I replied to them over the months.”
Mary is 89 now. She has published more than 75 cookery books. Her mum died at the age of 105, in 2011.
Read more: Mary Berry’s ‘Love To Cook’ series and her past US arrest story
So, does Mary Berry’s advice ring true? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!
