UK You Magazine – 1993

By Geoff Wilkinson.

Richard E Grant is currently appearing in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Aldwych Theatre in London.

Wife Joan Washington is a voice coach. They have one daughter, aged four, Olivia. Richard and Joan’s first child was stillborn after complications developed in the pregnancy. “Until that time I had no idea how common it is to lose babies and what it actually meant. At the same stage in the second pregnancy, the danger signs became apparent. I owe Olivia’s life to Queen Charlotte’s Hospital. She was born by Caesarean section at three minutes to one, Wednesday lunchtime. She was tiny, just 4lb, with jaundice, although she didn’t need to go in an incubator. They said she was strong. I’m sure Olivia will be our only child because of the problems we had holding on to one, and because I travel so much and my life is working. I’m glad I have a daughter because I’d prefer my wife to be her role model.”

“I built Olivia a proper marionette theatre for all the 30 Pelham puppets I had as a teenager. When she started to speak she always said “actually”, like Joan. She’ll say, “That’s a big, fat, ugly person,” and the only one she could get that from is me, when I’m in a hurry at pedestrian crossings.

“My wife has said she’d put her foot down straight away if she didn’t like Olivia’s first boyfriend. I said she could come and seek solace with me. Joan said, “She does that already.”