Kate Beckinsale marked the anniversary of her stepfather's death with a candid and emotional post detailing what it was like to watch both his and her father die.
The actress shared a photo of her late stepfather, Roy Batterseausing him Instagram account Friday, January 10. The picture shows Roy wearing a T-shirt with the words “World's Best Farter. I mean father” and smiles while holding a bouquet of flowers.
“Finding my father's body alone in the middle of the night at the age of five shaped my whole life. Seeing my beloved stepfather die a year ago today will haunt me forever,” Beckinsale (51) wrote in the lengthy tribute. “It seems terribly careless that I managed to be present at both deaths and not be able to prevent any by trying a second time with every thing I had. It wasn't enough.”
The Black Canary actress reflected on her grief and sense of loss at Battersea's death, who died in Los Angeles in January 2024 after a “short illness”.
“When I lost my beloved Roy, I lost my family, my friendships, sometimes my health, and all the money I had because the American health care system is abominable to the uninsured. I would do it again. There is no doubt. I can't help but feel like I failed miserably,” she wrote
Beckinsale went on to explain that she relied on what she could to “comfort” herself, telling herself that Battersea was ready for her life to end and was “at peace with it”.
“However, I seem to be lying to myself to try and feel better. Maybe, unfortunately, I'm not enlightened enough to sell it to myself about my sense of loss, guilt and failure,” she admitted.
The one-year anniversary of Battersea's death was a hard pill to swallow, says Beckinsale.
“It's a tough day to talk about our new and dear tragedy, but given that I couldn't save him, I'll be damned if I don't honor him in some way,” she continued. “He taught me to be brave. He taught me that it doesn't matter if people don't like you as long as you do the right thing, he lost everything fighting for justice for the trade unions, for the Palestinians in the seventies, living with them. in refugee camps in Lebanon for several years, creating his 1977 documentary The Palestinian, fighting that miners lose everything in strikes.
She concluded: “I'm so lucky to have been raised by someone who knew what was right without compromise and lived by it. And loved me. Thank you for being my father. I miss you so much.”