Jason Watkins and his wife Clara Francis opened up about their heartbreak over the death of their daughter Maude, revealing it would have been “avoidable”.
The 60-year-old actor and his wife tragically lost their daughter in 2011 when she was just two years old after contracting the flu and not being diagnosed with sepsis.
The couple have been working on a new documentary called Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, in which they will offer support to other families struggling with grief.
Revealing that Maude’s death was “avoidable,” Clara said, “I’ve always felt with Maude, she was just unlucky (…). It makes it so much more painful for me because this is a death that could have been avoided.’
As their documentary airs on ITV on Thursday 30 March at 9pm, who are Jason and Clara and what happened to their daughter Maude?
Death: Jason Watkins and his wife Clara Francis have spoken openly about their heartbreak over the death of their daughter Maude as they reveal it could have been avoided
Child: The 60-year-old actor and his wife tragically lost their daughter in 2011 when she was just two years old after being diagnosed with sepsis while suffering from the flu
Who are Jason Watkins and Clara Francis?
Jason is an English stage and screen actor best known for his starring role in the 2014 two-part drama The Lost Honor of Christopher Jefferies.
He also portrayed Prime Minister Harold Wilson in the third season of the Netflix hit The Crown and starred opposite David Tennant in the 2020 serial killer drama Des.
Jason is married to jewelry and fashion designer Clara and the couple tied the knot in 2014.
It is not known how they met or how long they were together before their marriage.
The couple welcomed daughters Bessie and Maude and a son Gilbert together. But tragedy struck when her daughter Maude tragically died in 2011 at the age of two.
Jason was previously married to actress Caroline Harding and they share two older children – Freddie and Pip.
Career: Jason is an English stage and screen actor best known for his starring role in the 2014 two-part drama The Lost Honor of Christopher Jefferies
Relationship: Jason is married to jewelry and fashion designer Clara and the couple tied the knot in 2014. In addition to the late daughter Maude, they share children Bessie and Gilbert
What happened to her daughter Maude?
Jason tragically found his two-year-old daughter Maude dead in her bed on New Year’s morning 2011, who was ill with the flu.
Despite two hospital visits, her flu symptoms masked the sepsis and she went undiagnosed.
Known as the “silent killer,” sepsis strikes when an infection, such as blood poisoning, triggers a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs.
If caught early enough, it can be easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, but these must be given as soon as sepsis is suspected — it strikes with frightening speed, and for every hour delayed, a patient’s chance of dying increases by 8 percent.
The couple recently spoke to Giovanna Fletcher on her Happy Mum, Happy Baby about Maude’s tragic death and said they believe it was “preventable”.
Describing what happened, Clara said: “I’ve always felt with Maude, she was just unlucky. You know, maybe another kid went into the ER and they had a counselor there who said, “I think it could be sepsis,” and their kid lives.
“I think it’s important to say that some parents are being listened to. I think it’s luck. (…) That makes it so much more painful for me because this is a death that could have been avoided. (…)
“Knowing that your child could potentially be a 14-year-old girl going out and living a really fabulous life when it hasn’t happened to her is particularly difficult. (…) Why didn’t I yell at the hospital and demand that they keep her there? (…) I failed at what I was supposed to do, I was supposed to keep her alive.’
Tragic: On New Year’s morning 2011, Jason found his two-year-old Maude dead in her bed with the flu
Devastating: Despite two hospital visits, her flu symptoms masked the sepsis and she went undiagnosed
Recalling how Maude’s sepsis began to manifest, Jason explained, “[Maude]had a cold and a sore throat, she had kind of a hoarse voice for a while, which we liked because it was kind of funny.
“We never thought it was serious, and of course it wasn’t at that point. And it must have taken about a week, and we thought (…) ‘that should have changed by now’. So we took her to the GP and I was worried it had gone to the breast.’
Clara, who works as a fashion designer, continued: “Well, I then took her to the emergency room, (…) and the doctor said, ‘You know what, she has croup. That’s good! Give her those steroids.” (…) He was very reassuring.
Jason added: “So she went to sleep that night. Then the next day, (…) she woke up and had problems.”
Clara said, “She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t find a breath.”
Jason said: “She passed out; she was pale and listless. (…) So we then decided not to call an ambulance, we just got in the car (…) and tried to keep her awake by screaming.
“It was really awful for about 15 minutes to get to the hospital. After an hour she was a little calmer, her temperature had dropped. (…) Then it was a counselor who said: ‘It might be better to take her home because there is a more familiar environment.’ It didn’t feel right at the time, and of course that’s where the guilt comes in.”
Clara, who also shares daughter Bessie and son Gilbert with Jason, explained: “Then Bessie came into our room in the morning because she was sharing a room with Maude and said, ‘I can’t wake Maude, and I just knew. Because part of me, my kind of maternal instinct, was that she was really sick.
“But because the doctors kept saying, ‘It’s fine,’ I was like, ‘oh okay.’ (…) Because before something like that happens, you trust doctors (…) you think ‘if the doctor who studied medicine tells me that, then I will believe it.’ But looking back, my instinct was no, this is really serious. And I wish I had trusted my instincts more about who I am now.’
Fear: The couple recently spoke to Giovanna Fletcher on her happy mother, happy baby about Maude’s tragic death and said they believe it was ‘preventable’
Parents: Speaking about her loss, Jason said, “You expect that there will be several, many lifetimes of[special moments]but in our case, of course, there wasn’t.”
Clara explained that it was the first time they sat down while filming her ITV documentary and went through the circumstances leading up to her death and the day she died in touch with forensic details.
She said that after Maude’s death, they both attended therapy separately and later found that they both remembered the day of her death “completely differently.”
Clara said: “Maude died (…) that night between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s. And I remember the Christmas before that, so it would have been 2 weeks before, my grandmother was still alive and we were with my mother. I remember filming the girls (…) cooking in the kitchen with my grandma.
“And I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to look back on it one day because my grandmother won’t be here anymore.’ And then I remember when Maude died I thought you were the one who should die, not Maude and pretty mad about it.
“Obviously nobody should have died, but you know she was 93 years old and she was still alive, and she even said to me, ‘It should have been me,’ and I think I probably said, ‘Yes, you should have it should be ’cause you’re 93.’
She added: “I remember after Maude’s death I felt a deep shame (…) that I hadn’t enjoyed every single second of it. But of course, in my logical mind, I know that’s ridiculous. Because no one believes their child will die.’
Jason said: “And you expect it to continue like this. (…) Because you assume that there will be several, many lifetimes full of (special moments), but of course that wasn’t the case in our case.’
When will the documentary air?
The couple have directed a documentary called Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie which details the heartbreaking loss of their young daughter Maude.
Grief: The couple have directed a documentary ‘Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie’ detailing the heartbreaking loss of their baby daughter Maude
Documentary: Airing Thursday 30 March at 9pm on ITV1, the program will make her remember the very emotional death of her child
The program will air Thursday 30 March at 9pm on ITV1 and will remind her of the very emotional death of her child.
They will also support other families suffering grief throughout the documentary as they deal with their own loss.
Speaking on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Clara said that making the documentary was the first time they sat down and the circumstances leading up to her death and the day she died in the forensic detail.
If you need further support or information on grief and bereavement, you can contact mental health charity Mind on 0300 123 3393.