Broadchurch star Sarah Parish reveals the heartbreaking inspiration behind her incredible charity work. After experiencing unimaginable loss, she and her husband transformed their grief into a powerful mission to help seriously ill children and their families. Discover the lasting legacy of their late daughter and the vital mental health support they now provide. How does she juggle such demanding roles?
Veteran actress Sarah Parish navigates a life seamlessly interwoven with high-profile acting roles and the profoundly personal mission of running a children’s charity, a journey born from unimaginable grief. Her dedication to both demanding careers showcases a remarkable resilience, balancing the ephemeral nature of performance with the grounding reality of philanthropic work that touches countless lives. This dual existence defines her public persona and her deepest commitments.
The genesis of Parish’s philanthropic endeavors traces back to January 2009, when she and her husband, James Murray, faced the heart-wrenching loss of their baby daughter, Ella-Jayne, at just eight months old due to congenital heart failure. Ella-Jayne had been born with the rare genetic disorder Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome, a devastating diagnosis that profoundly reshaped the couple’s future and ultimately led to a powerful legacy.
Five years following their profound loss, Sarah Parish and James Murray established The Murray Parish Trust, an initiative that has since raised over £5 million, predominantly supporting Southampton Children’s Hospital where Ella-Jayne spent much of her short life. In a significant evolution this year, the charity rebranded as Inspire This Charity, shifting its focus to address a critical gap in mental health support for seriously ill children and their families, a poignant area highlighted by their own experiences.
Parish vividly recalls the desolate hospital rooms available to parents after a child’s passing, spaces that amplified an already unbearable situation. Driven by this memory, Inspire This now provides crucial interventions, from drama and music workshops to yoga sessions, creating comforting environments within paediatric units. Their ambitious goal is to reach every seriously ill child in the UK by 2035, ensuring comprehensive mental health support is accessible during the most traumatic times. This commitment to children’s mental health is a cornerstone of their work.
Beyond her impactful celebrity charity work, Sarah Parish boasts an impressive acting career, having graced screens in popular shows like “Peak Practice,” “Cutting It,” and “Bancroft,” where she tackled tougher, complex roles. She openly acknowledges the demanding juggle between filming commitments and the ceaseless efforts required to run Inspire This, often working with fellow UK actors like Hugh Bonneville and David Tennant to support fundraising efforts, illustrating the interplay between her acting career and charitable pursuits.
Despite her successes, Parish, a self-described “proper jobbing actor,” expresses a yearning for greater professional stability, a common sentiment for women over 40 in an industry often criticised for its underrepresentation of older female talent. This desire for security, coupled with her drive for creative control, has led her to proactively develop her own television projects, adapting books for the screen, demonstrating her ambition beyond traditional roles.
On a more personal note, Parish candidly discusses her experience with perimenopause, noting its impact on her cognitive functions before finding relief with HRT. She also touches upon the challenges of modern parenting, particularly her concerns regarding excessive smartphone use among teenagers, exemplified by her 15-year-old daughter, Nell, who was conceived shortly after Ella-Jayne’s death, highlighting the everyday realities of family life and the lasting impact of baby loss awareness.
Though a large family wasn’t in her cards after two traumatic births, Parish found peace in her daughter Nell’s contentment as an only child. She concludes with a lighter glimpse into her life, sharing anecdotes about a “hilarious” family WhatsApp group, filled with “ridiculous conversations” that bring levity and connection, offering a balanced view of her multifaceted existence as a celebrity and a dedicated humanitarian.
