NEWSRichard E. Grant Admits He Cries 'Every Single Day' After the Death of His Wife of 38 Years
Richard E. Grant opened up about crying daily about late wife Joan, four years after her death.
Jan. 28 2026, Published 2:01 p.m. ET
Richard E. Grant is still struggling with the devastating loss of his wife of 38 years, Joan Washington.
Even four years after her death, the actor, 68, said he still cries "every single day" about her passing.
'My Brain Cannot Compute That She's Gone'
Richard E. Grant opened up about grieving his late wife Joan during a podcast interview.
Speaking on Paloma Faith's "Mad Sad Bad" podcast, Grant revealed just how raw his grief remains.
"It's four years since my wife of 38 years died, and I understand it rationally, that I will never see, touch, talk to her ever again," he said. "But, emotionally, my brain cannot compute that she's gone, so it sort of reconfigured, and I just instinctively started writing to her, every night, that is the hardest bit to get used to."
The couple met in 1982 and married in 1986. They shared daughter Olivia, 34.
Washington tragically passed away in September 2021, just eight months after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
Joan Washington tragically passed away in September 2021 after battling stage four lung cancer.
'Only Remember the Good Bits'
He revealed he cries daily, from grief, joy, or even the news.
Grant also opened up about how looking back at the past helps him. "But I now do, and the trick of memory is so extraordinary, in that, a year ago, I only remembered her in full health, rather than in poor health for the last eight months of her life," he revealed. "So, if I suddenly find a picture of her on my phone of when she was ill, it's a real shock, because my memory has sort of reconfigured, which I suppose is what you do, your survival instinct to only remember the good bits."
"Out of the 38 years we were together, only eight months of those 38 years were in diminishing health. So, relatively, I remember the good bits," the actor shared.
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'I Cry Every Single Day'
He revealed he tries to remember the 'good bits' rather than the bad.
Despite focusing on "the good bits," the star was brutally honest about the ongoing pain. "I cry every single day: from grief, from joy, from the news," he admitted.
On moving forward, Grant said there's no "getting over" a loss like this.
He said: "I don't think of it like that, I think that it's something that you navigate your way round it, and you don't get over it. So, and when people come out with the platitudes, all well-meaning as it is, saying 'oh time will heal' or "you'll get over it," I've not thought of it that way, I've not wanted to get over it."
Dating After the Death of Joan
Richard Grant has said dating after Joan Washington has been impossible, as no one compares to her.
Grant announced Washington's death in September 2021, sharing a heartbreaking video of them dancing together.
He has since said he "can't imagine falling in love again," adding that while he has tried dating, "nobody else has even come near" to Joan.
