Joely Richardson suffered 'violent grief' after sister's death

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Actress Joely Richardson said she has had to deal with "violent" and "terrifying" grief in the aftermath of her sister Natasha's death.


Family: Natasha Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson

And she revealed she still cannot come to terms with using the word "death" in relation to her sister who was killed in a skiing accident 14 months ago.

In an interview with the new edition of Red magazine, Richardson said her grief had been a "brutal" emotion.

Natasha - whose screen roles had included The Parent Trap - suffered a head injury during a skiing break in Canada.

Richardson told Red: "I felt my DNA had split. I felt as if someone had put a bomb inside me and exploded it.

"This idea that grief is gentle - those images of Scottish Widow adverts or a dove - it's not like that, it's really violent."

The Nip/Tuck star continued: "It's this brutal, aggressive, terrifying emotion - you're lucky if you can walk through it - it's like a dinosaur has got your head in its mouth, and is shaking your body, you're flailing around."

Speaking about her reluctance to use the word "death", she said: "I don't know why, I can't say it. But I do understand it when people say "passing", because I suppose we are all just passing through life, there's no finality about it.

"Anyway, it makes me feel better."

The acting dynasty family has suffered further tragedies this year with Richardson's uncle Corin Redgrave and aunt Lynn Redgrave - her mother Vanessa's siblings - dying in April and May.

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