Actress Natascha McElhone never thought she'd be raising her children alone. But when her 43-year-old husband Martin Kelly died suddenly, she realised the responsibility of raising three children was on her shoulders. In a candid interview with UK's Daily Mail, the 'Californication' actress chats about her tragic loss, why she chose to be alone at the birth of her third child and how she plans to move forward with her life.
McElhone was only four months pregnant when her husband died last May. He collapsed and died on the front doorstep of their London home while she was filming 'Californication' in the U.S."I did that thing I thought people only did in movies – I dropped the phone and my knees sort of buckled under me. The only other people who were going to be affected as deeply as me were the children – apart from Martin's mother, of course – so they were the first people I told, although I don't think it's fair for me to talk about their reaction. That's so much their experience," McElhone said.
Months later, McElhone gave birth to their third son, Rex, who is now seven months old. (Their two other children include: Theo, 8, and Otis, 5.) During Rex's birth, she decided to be alone.
"It just felt right somehow. If Martin couldn't be there, I couldn't replace him with someone, as that would have felt very strange. I wanted to be on my own because that was the way it was going to be. I was going to be my baby's only parent so I may as well get used to it," she said.
As she moves forward as a single mother, she admits she's blessed with the short time she got to spend with her husband.
"I thank God I had two babies with Martin before so I know exactly what his reaction to Rex would be. I imagine him kissing the back of Rex's neck and doing all the things he loved doing with the others," she said.
"I say to the boys, 'Daddy used to do this with you guys.' They'll say, 'Let's do it to Rexy!' and we all pile in and give him hugs," McElhone added.