I am a big fan of an actor called Timothy Spall.
It’s not just because he’s incredibly talented … nor is it because he starred in one of my favourite all-time programs, Auf Wiedersehen Pet … it’s because he is a genuine, down-to-earth, humorous bloke who loves his family and has none of the pretentious bullshit that so many ‘thespians’ seem to adopt.
Anyway, a while back, he was diagnosed with leukemia.
While he is now in the clear – which is amazing given that at one point, he was literally given hours to live – his wife recently published a book detailing this dark period in all it’s poignant, heartbreaking, hopeful and humorous glory.
Like the book by Natascha McElhone, you realise that despite all the sadness, helplessness and pain, their stories are underpinned by an unstoppable force of love – that thing adland and the media like to talk about, even though they rarely seem to appreciate what it really is.
Love is not all whispering sweet nothings, pink fluffy clouds and hearts with arrows through them, it’s about liberation and protection … where your actions, opinions and belief help significant others achieve more than they ever thought possible and be protected from more than they ever thought possible … and that’s why I’m a big believer in expressing how you feel when you feel it, because not only do you risk regret if you wait, but because speaking out can make a difference in more ways than you thought imaginable.
You can read an extract of Timothy Spall’s wife’s book here. I hope you do.