Dawn French calls for assisted dying to be legalised in the UK as she joins the many celebrities backing the bill: ‘It’s a no-brainer’
Dawn French has called for assisted dying to be legalized in the UK, saying it was a ‘no-brainer’ decision.
To talk Good Housekeeping For the July issue, the Vicar of Dibley star said: ‘As long as the right protocols are in place, everyone is given permission and it’s for all the right reasons, it’s a no-brainer.
‘I don’t understand why we don’t approve of this in this country. ‘Not doing so seems cruel to me.’
Broadcasters Dame Esther Rantzen and Dame Prue Leith are among the celebrities who actively support assisted dying.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was first supported in principle by House of Commons MPs in 2024.
Last year it cleared the House of Commons with a majority of 23.
However, it expired after being stalled in the House of Lords last month.
Posing in a monochrome dress and white blouse for the Good Housekeeping cover, 68-year-old Dawn also touched on her fear of aging.
He said: ‘I am extremely disturbed by the whole thing. The world seems hopeless right now.
‘The idea of growing old, of being vulnerable, of not being independent anymore; ‘This is all daunting.’
Dawn French has called for assisted dying to be legalized in the UK and said it was a “no-brainer” decision
Speaking to Good Housekeeping, he told Good Housekeeping: ‘As long as the right protocols are in place, everyone is given permission and for all the right reasons, it’s a very simple thing.’
‘I don’t understand why we don’t approve of this in this country. “Not doing this seems cruel to me,” he added.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was first supported in principle by Commons MPs in 2024.
The full interview is on sale in the new issue of Good Housekeeping UK
The actress’ comments came after she said she ‘blamed herself’ for not foreseeing her father’s suicide, and detailed the ‘anger, confusion and grief’ she felt after his father’s death.
Denys Vernon French tragically committed suicide in 1977, at the age of 45, when Ms. French was only 19 years old.
Appearing on ITV’s This Morning to promote her new book, Enough, Dawn said: ‘Because of what happened to my father, I think I’ve spent my whole life processing what happened…
‘Of course, when I was 19 I was angry, furious, confused and filled with grief. As I got older, I tried to understand mental health, I understand that too, forgive me. And I also thought this was something we really needed to talk about…
‘Don’t leave all these shameful, taboo things in the past, it was illegal, it was a sin. I’m living proof that you can overcome something like this. ‘You need to talk about it to understand.’
Dawn went on to say that ‘blame is everywhere’ regarding suicide and that her mother has ‘experienced some of that too’.
He added: ‘So the more we talk about it the more we talk about it so everyone’s experience is different. Everyone’s reason is different.
‘My father was an incredibly busy father. A cheerful man. But he had black dogs, and when they came he took them to his bed, it was deep and dark. We didn’t even know this when we were kids. We had a lot of fun most of the time, Dad.’
The full interview is on sale in the new issue of Good Housekeeping UK
