TRAGIC NEWS: BBC TV star with a famous wife is found d3ad in a park following a tragedy.
Actor Joseph Bennett died aged 47 after a successful career spanning British television, film and theatre, with his former wife Julie Graham later opening up about the devastating impact of his death on their family.
Bennett, whose credits included Howards End, The Bill, Doctors and Casualty, was found dead in Richmond Park, south-west London, on April 13, 2015.
His death was ruled a suicide.
At the time, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man in his mid-40s had been pronounced dead at the scene and that a report had been submitted to the coroner.
Joseph Built Career Across TV and Film
Bennett appeared in a string of familiar British productions during his acting career.
Alongside his role in the acclaimed film Howards End, he appeared in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and long-running ITV drama The Bill.
His television credits also included appearances in BBC medical dramas Doctors and Casualty.
Away from the screen, Bennett had also worked extensively in theatre.
He met actress Julie Graham while the pair were appearing together in a stage production.
They married privately in 2002 and went on to have two children together.
However, Graham has since revealed that their relationship had ended several years before Bennett’s death.
Julie Graham Reveals They Had Already Divorced
Speaking on the A Night In with Sally Lindsay and Channel 5 podcast in June, Graham discussed the intense media attention that followed the tragedy.
She explained that reports at the time did not fully reflect their circumstances.
“What [the media] didn’t know, is Joe and I had been separated for three years,” she said.
“We were divorced, in fact.”
Graham also recalled receiving the devastating news while she was working on the first series of Benidorm.
“My ex-husband, father of my children, took his own life while we were filming,” she said.
“It was my first series.”
The actress described that period as an extraordinarily difficult time as she dealt with the loss while also caring for their children.
Benidorm Cast ‘Wrapped Their Arms Around Me’
Graham credited her Benidorm colleagues with helping her through the aftermath.
She said the cast and production team allowed her to step away from filming so she could concentrate on her family before returning when she felt able.
According to Graham, her colleagues “wrapped their arms around me” during what she described as the “worst time of my life”.
Despite their separation and divorce, she remembered Bennett warmly and described him as a “lovely husband”.
Actress Later Rebuilt Her Life
Graham has since remarried, but the loss of Bennett remained a deeply significant chapter in her life, particularly because they shared two children.
Her recent comments offered a rare insight into what was happening privately when news of Bennett’s death became public.
While much of the attention at the time focused on their former marriage, Graham explained that they had already been apart for three years.
What remained unchanged was their connection as parents.
Years later, she continues to speak with affection about Bennett while acknowledging the enormous grief his death caused.
Her recollections also highlighted the support she received from those around her during a period when she was simultaneously dealing with a personal tragedy and the demands of a television career.
