The Crown's Jason Watkins reveals 'incredible pain' of losing his daughter, 2, to sepsis

12 September 2019, 15:54

Appearing on Loose Women this afternoon, actor Jason Watkins spoke of his heartbreak after toddler daughter Maude died of sepsis.

Line of Duty actor Jason Watkins appeared on the daytime panel show today, opening up about the death of his two-year-old daughter, Maude.

Watkins, 53, told viewers of his "incredible pain", after his child died of sepsis on New Year's Eve, hours after being sent home from hospital.

He said: "In the morning our other daughter, who shared a room at the time, came in in the morning and said: 'I can't wake Maude.'

"She had died on the morning of New Year. It's almost Dickensian that in modern medicine that could happen.

"It's had a cataclysmic effect on our family. The first time sepsis was mentioned was six months later, in the inquest."

Watkins then added: "What sepsis does is lurks underneath presenting symptoms. With Maude that was breathing difficulties and a chest infection."

Speaking of his struggle to move on from Maude's shock death, Jason discussed going for a walk in the park with his family, saying: "I saw a child that looked exactly like Maude.

"My wife Clara was approaching and me and Dennis, my father in law, said: 'Oh let's go and do something else.' It's incredibly painful."

He explained how initially GPs told him and wife Clara that Maude had a chest infection, and after they took her into A&E, they were discharged with antibiotics. Maude was found dead on the first day of 2010.

Loose Women viewers were heartbroken by Jason's story, with one tweeting: "You are an incredible person, watching you has given me strength to get through issues I am having. Good luck to you in the future!"

Another wrote: "[sic] Thankyou for raising awareness... I sadly lost my husband in May to Sepsis .. he would have been 57 today. so sad ... i never knew what it was , when i look at the symptoms now it was all there. Bless you all."