Following the passing of his parents, Phil Spencer said he was “blown away” by the outpouring of sympathy from his followers.
The Location, Location, Location actor’s world came crashing down last summer when his mother, Anne, 82, and father, Richard, 89, perished in a horrific vehicle accident.
The automobile overturned and rolled into a little river on the Littlebourne property of the farming couple, who had been together for more than 60 years, as they went to lunch with their caretaker at a local pub.
A few days later, Phil—who cohosts the Channel 4 show with Kirstie Allsopp—spoke candidly about the mishap on Instagram, paying empathetic homage to his parents.
He was “overwhelmed” by the affection that fans, family, and friends had showed him.
‘I feel a lot of gratitude to people for the thousands of kind, supportive messages I got,’ he told the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine, tearing up during the interview. ‘The whole thing was overwhelming, but that blew me away. People were very loving and thoughtful.’
In a joint interview with the site, he discussed his thoughts with Kirstie, who commended her buddy for how he managed such a challenging circumstance.
‘So many people felt linked to Phil. He posted a beautifully written account of what had happened on Instagram, in a very unguarded and honest way.
‘I was full of admiration for the way in which he and the family dealt with the whole thing. He negotiated it without any anger or resentment towards those people who were curious. He told them what happened.’
Phil clarified that the purpose of his speech was to save himself from having to again recount the tragedy to others in person.
Kirstie expressed to the publication how unique Richard and Anne were as she was one of the people who shared their own tributes to them on social media.
She added: ‘When I went to the church service for them both, one of my dominant thoughts was that in 50 years’ time I hope there are still people around who are like Phil’s parents.
‘It was a real reminder of those people who are at the heart of their community, who contribute to their local charities, their local church.’
A coroner said last month that the circumstances surrounding their death were among the “most tragic” she had ever heard of.
Days before Christmas Day, Sarah Clarke, the regional coroner for northeast Kent, disclosed the cause of death at Oakwood House in Maidstone.
She added that whereas his wife passed away from aspiration pneumonia, a hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage, and almost drowning, Richard died from a lung ailment known as aspiration pneumonitis as a result of almost drowning.