Motherland and Line of Duty star Anna Maxwell speaks of children's grief after sudden death of ex-husband

Motherland and Line of Duty star Anna Maxwell has spoken of her children's grief after the sudden death of her ex-husband, filmmaker Roger Michell. Anna, who recently returned to screens in BBC comedy whodunnit Ludwig, opposite David Mitchell, talked about the impact the death of 65-year-old Roger had on her and her children.

She told BBC Women's Hour she feared going broke, as well as worrying about the impact the loss - in 2021, a year after they separated - would have on the mental wellbeing of their children. Now 47, she said her first instinct was to protect their daughters - Maggie, 15, and Nancy, 13 - while facing a potentially uncertain financial future as a lone parent.

"My husband died three years ago and things were really difficult on every aspect of our lives," she said. "One of those was that there's a lot of stuff that comes with grief, and one of them is financial terror. And then there are real practicalities around your children and their mental health, and supporting them, which is your priority."

She added: "Looking back, I was probably in a state of shock, and fear, and a heightened state, for a long time actually, until very recently."

Director Michell, whose film and TV credits included Notting Hill, Enduring Love and BBC show The Buddha Of Suburbia, died of an undisclosed cause on September 22, 2021. Anna, who is promoting new show Until I Kill You, said losing her father Ivan Martin when she was just 24 helped her cope with the loss.

"I've tried this road before, of grief, and sudden traumatic death," she said. "I've done it before, and so in a way I could pick myself up and do it again. It was horrible to have to see my children walk that road, but I'm pretty gritty, I'm pretty strong, and I think I'm quite deft, I hope, at navigating life. And I thought, 'I've just got to keep the motor chugging on'."

"When it happened to me and I was 24, I was very lonely. I was very isolated because no-one had been through what I'd been through. I didn't know those people. And then when it happened with Rog, I saw it more as, 'We've all got to keep it together for the kids'.

"I also think there's something about being a woman in your 40s, and by then, if you're lucky enough, you will have succeeded in having the best friends and best people around you. You'll have stopped making mistakes in that area of your life. And I really did, I had exceptional friends, an exceptional support network."

In 2022, Anna started dating millionaire record boss Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, 52.