Tag: Helen McCrory

Throwback Thursday to Ride4Hugo in Memory of Hugo and Helen

L-R: Damian, his sister Amanda Yaxley, his brother Gareth Lewis, and brother in-law Charles Yaxley during the bike ride in memory of Hugo and Helen in June 2022

I find it beyond impressive when families turn their tragic losses into good for many others in memory of the loved ones they lost. Ride4Hugo, a campaign Damian’s family run in memory of Hugo Yaxley, Damian and Helen’s nephew, who tragically died in a car accident in November 2020, and also in memory of Helen, who passed away only 5 months after Hugo’s accident, is an extraordinary effort aimed to do good for so many people.

source: @yaxleymumma Instagram

And Hugo’s older brother Josh running the London Marathon last weekend in memory of Hugo and to raise funds for Place2Be, a mental health charity for children and young people, inspires me to re-visit the family’s Ride4Hugo campaign. Well done, Josh.

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Helen McCrory: Celebrating A Phenomenal Woman and Her Life

I have always known that Helen was a brilliant actress but now I also know she was such a class act in life and death. The way she chose to live, bravely, focusing on her family, work and charity rather than on her illness and death, is a lesson for us all about how to live and die with dignity. She was such a bright star that I know she will keep on living through her brilliant work and the two wonderful children she raised with her beloved husband.

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The Best Week Ever: Following Damian Lewis on his UK Tour Part II

‘We loved playing for all of you over the last few weeks. So much fun so much chat so many sweets so much love so many DLous so many burrito wraps so good so beautiful so long…..” —Damian Lewis

Damian has recently taken to Instagram to reflected on the second leg of his Mission Creep tour as above. And now that I reflect on my week long trip to the UK to follow Damian and the band from Stroud to Poole to Norwich to Cambridge, it was so many train rides, so many hotel rooms, so much gloomy British weather, so little sleep, and a lost passport for God’s sake! But it was all WORTH IT for the fantastic music, fun chats, much love and big laughs with people I adore! IT WAS THE BEST WEEK EVER! And this post is my way of saying thank you to Damian, Dave, Will, Kitty, Joe, Phil, Jamie, Amelie, Jack, Steve, Vicky and my old friends Tsvete and Monique and new friend Mel for making it a dream trip! And special thanks go to the U.S. Embassy in London for helping me.

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Our Top Songs From Damian Lewis’ Album Mission Creep

Damian has played guitar since he was 13-years-old and supported himself by busking through Europe – France and Spain to be precise – before his acting career took off. And let me tell you, his Martin guitar has proven a useful fallback. He has been quoted as saying, “I wanted the album to give a sense of a journey to this point, from busking ’til now” and that is exactly what he has accomplished with his debut album Mission Creep. He has proven to be a heartfelt songwriter and his sophisticated songs bleed of love, loss, vulnerability and authenticity. Stylistically Mission Creep covers a broad spectrum of genres, from folk and jazz/loose swing to rock and rootsy blues. So it’s no surprise that we blogmates picked different styles of songs as our top three. Some of us selected the more rockin’ blues songs while others singled-out the more jazz notes.

On stage? Well Damian is a compelling performer at music venues, singing with passion and tight-pant swagger, all the while backed by a phenomenal six-piece band playing a sonic palette of acoustic guitar, keyboards, saxophone and clarinet, mixed with bursts of electric guitar and sprinkles of the French harp (harmonica). Damian Lewis, the musician, is in his element. Period. Ladies and Gents, here are our top three songs by Damian Lewis from Mission Creep.

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Happy St. David’s Day – Damian Lewis and His Welsh Roots

happystdavidsday

Happy St. David’s Day, everyone!

Today is the Feast Day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. Thus, in honor of the day, why not talk about Damian and his Welsh roots?

Here is Damian talking about himself as a “Londoner” and “British” at Times Talks London.

So far so good… Damian is proud of his Welsh roots, and we’re talking about Wales today! But… what do I talk about when I talk about Wales? What do I really know about Wales except the fact that Damian is half-Welsh? Well… I can drop a few Welsh celebrity names like a pro…Sir Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Burton, Gareth Bale… and, of course, the wonderful Denise Salway aka the “Knitting Witch” that creates the wonderful “Wolf Hall in Wool” collection and who made, for Damian, a special personalized gift!

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