I was in Chris Rea’s iconic music video for Driving Home For Christmas and this is the bittersweet truth that leaves me in tears every time I watch it following his death

Driving Home For Christmas’ 2009 charity special is one of the most iconic festive music videos, featuring a star-studded cast.

But behind the smiles and dances of the joyful clip lies a bittersweet truth that brings one of its stars to tears every time he rewatches it.

Musician Chris Rea, who sang, wrote and composed the track, tragically passed away on Monday at the age of 74, following a short illness.

TV star Lizzie Cundy, who was among the celebrities featured in the video after his death, shared how looking back now touched her.

Chris is not the only star in the music video to have passed away, as TV presenter Kristian Digby, best known for To Buy or Not to Buy, died due to ‘misfortune’ in 2010, aged just 32.

Canadian-British actor and choreographer Lionel Blair, who died in 2021 at the age of 92, also appears in the clip and is seen dancing with Lizzie.

But behind the joyful clip full of smiles and dancing lies a bittersweet truth that moves one of the stars to tears every time they watch it, following the death of singer Chris Rea at the age of 74 (seen in 2005).

Elsewhere, Welsh actor Ewen Mackintosh passed away in 2024, aged 50, after two years of ill health. Football player Jimmy Greaves did this in 2021 at the age of 81.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Lizzie said: ‘Tragically, a number of people died in this video, including Lionel and Kristian Digby from The Professionals.’

He added: ‘There have been so many tragedies.’

‘There were so many tragedies in this video. And now Chris himself has passed away.’

Lizzie continued: ‘This is also a very, very sad part of the video.

‘I felt like there was something darker at the end because so many tragic things happened to the people who appear in the video.’

Meanwhile, Scottish TV star and model Gail Porter appeared in the video, four years after losing her hair to alopecia.

Lizzie also shared that she divorced her ex-husband, football player Jason Cundy, after filming the music video.

TV star Lizzie Cundy (Picture), who was among the celebrities featured in the video after his death, shared how looking back now makes her emotional

Chris isn’t the only star in the music video to have passed away, as TV presenter Kristian Digby (pictured), best known for To Buy or Not to Buy, died ‘unfortunately’ in 2010, aged just 32.

Canadian-British actor and choreographer Lionel Blair (Pictured), who died in 2021 at the age of 92, also appears in the clip and is seen dancing with Lizzie.

Socialite Lizzie has sung the praises of late singer Chris, hailing him as one of the kindest people she has ever met.

‘But I remained friends with Chris and he didn’t like the fame, he didn’t like the red carpet,’ she said. ‘He loved music and wanted to make people happy. He was probably one of the kindest people.

‘And he didn’t love being a star, he just loved music and making people happy. But for his family, this is a tragedy. “This is heartbreaking.”

It was revealed that Chris was the third of his siblings to die in just three months.

Chris’s older sister Camille Whitaker, 79, described his death as ‘tragic’ and said the sudden loss had left the family in shock, on the heels of two other deaths of their brother and sister.

Nicholas, the youngest of his six siblings, sadly died of brain cancer in a Yorkshire hospital in October, aged 66, Camille said.

Then, just days after her funeral, Camille’s twin sister, Geraldine Milward, died suddenly.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘This is such a pain. What happened is heartbreaking. The family was quite surprised by this situation. This is tragic. ‘We just can’t get over it.’

Elsewhere, Welsh actor Ewen Mackintosh passed away in 2024, aged 50, after two years of ill health

Chris’ wife Joan and daughters Josie and Julia released a statement announcing his death on Monday: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris.

‘He passed away peacefully in hospital with his family by his side earlier today following a short illness.’

The iconic song Driving Home for Christmas has reappeared in the UK Singles Chart every year since 2007, reaching number 10 in 2021.

Middlesbrough-born Chris met Joan when he was just 16 years old. He faced serious health problems such as peritonitis, pancreatic cancer and diabetes. In 2017, it was revealed that he had to inject insulin seven times a day.

Chris’s last social media post featured a car on a snowy highway with a road sign that read: ‘Coming home for Christmas with a thousand memories.’

She captioned her post on Sunday: ‘If it’s a head-to-toe white Christmas in the dumps, let’s hope the journey is smooth.’