Catastrophe actor Rob Delaney has candidly confessed he is still ‘a mess’, 14 months on from his son Henry, two, dying from a brain tumour.
The 42-year-old star spoke at the Rainbow Trust’s Trust In Fashion fundraiser on Monday, as he detailed how he is still coping with the tragic loss, saying: ‘I’m a mess… I need a lot of help. It has been very hard. It comes in waves.’
In a bid to help other parents in similar situations, the actor has been extremely open and honest about his and wife Leah’s plight in the face of their horrendous situation.
Pain: Catastrophe actor Rob Delaney has candidly confessed he is still ‘a mess’, 14 months on from his son Henry, two, dying from a brain tumour
Rob revealed Henry was diagnosed with his brain tumour in 2016 after suffering persistent vomiting and weight loss, shortly after he turned one.
The toddler underwent surgery to remove a tumour in addition to further treatment, spending a gruelling 15 months in hospital. But his family were told his cancer had returned in the autumn of 2017 before he passed away the following January.
In December, Rob revealed his wife Leah gave birth to their ‘magical’ fourth son back in August – seven months after son Henry passed away.
While he has discussed the joy of their new tot, he admitted at Monday afternoon’s event that he struggles every day with his raging grief.
Pain: The 42-year-old star spoke at the Rainbow Trust’s Trust In Fashion fundraiser on Monday, as he detailed how he is still coping with the tragic loss, saying: ‘I’m a mess… I need a lot of help. It has been very hard. It comes in waves’
In his speech heard by The Evening Standard, he said: ‘I’m a mess. My child died 14 months ago and I’m basically a bag of wet rubbish. I need a lot of help…
‘It has been very hard. It comes in waves. I’ve learned to not control how the waves come. Right now I’m sad a lot…
‘The reason I’m being honest with you and not trying to impress you, and make you think I’m cool or that I’m a tough guy, or maybe working through loss in an inspiring way, is that I have found that if a bereaved parent or bereaved sibling reads this…
‘I want them to know that it’s okay that they feel terrible, sad, confused and so brutally humbled.’
While brain surgery had left his son with ‘significant physical disabilities’, the toddler found his own ways to overcome his challenges.
Agony: In his speech heard by The Evening Standard, he said: ‘I’m a mess. My child died 14 months ago and I’m basically a bag of wet rubbish. I need a lot of help’
In a heartbreaking message at the time, Rob wrote: ‘He quickly learned sign language and developed his own method of getting from A to B shuffling on his beautiful little bum. His drive to live and to love and to connect was profound.’
After the final series of Catastrophe hits screens, he detailed how he managed to both write and film the series during his son’s battle.
He said: ‘Shoots were hard. Sometimes I’d need to take a break and just go cry. Writing them, logistically, was difficult. We rented an office right by Great Ormond Street Hospital so I could duck in and out as needed on series three.’
‘I found incredible sadness and confusion and anger not incompatible with work. I found grief not incompatible with work. I can’t return emails any more, or do basic admin, and my memory is fundamentally damaged…
‘So there are things that I’m much worse at now. Joking around and imagining stories has not suffered. Maybe because it’s almost like a vital sign.’
In December, Rob revealed that his wife gave birth to their ‘magical’ fourth son back in August. He told The Sunday Times Magazine, that his wife became pregnant again before Henry’s death, and revealed Henry was the first person they told.
Speaking about the decision to have another baby, Rob explained: ‘We likely would’ve had a fourth anyway. But I mean, there’s mixed feelings.
‘It’s sort of like they touch each other a little bit, but they almost exist in separate lanes. Having another child in no way, shape or form eases the grief of Henry dying.
‘But also having Henry dying doesn’t make our new son any less magical. I want to gobble him up and he deserves our full attention and love, and he grew in the same womb as Henry.
Agony: Speaking about the decision to have another baby, Rob explained: ‘We likely would’ve had a fourth anyway. But I mean, there’s mixed feelings’
