Frank Skinner pays emotional tribute to late co-star
Frank Skinner has broken his silence on the death of his “brilliant” co-star Gareth Richards, admitting that he had “cracked” on air due to not getting to say goodbye.
In a new interview published in the Telegraph, the 66-year-old said he “knew most people wouldn’t” have asked listeners to pray for his survival.
However, he continued: “I felt it was important to talk about him. He was a brilliant comic and he never got as big as he should have got.”
Adding that he didn’t plan his words beforehand, the sorrowful star explained: “I felt OK about it, then cracked a bit.
“I’ve had people close to me die, but no one with such violent suddenness. You don’t get a proper ending.”
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Gareth was admitted into intensive care in March after suffering critical injuries to his head, but on April 7 his life support machine was turned off.
His wife Laura had taken to Instagram at the time to disclose that the 41-year-old had sustained “serious brain injuries”, adding: “It was a miracle that he arrived at the hospital alive.”
She added that a scan revealed “the extent of the damage was so severe that they would have to remove all of the supportive medications and allow him to be at peace”.
Addressing the matter on the airwaves and informing viewers that the day’s show featured Gareth’s “best bits”, Frank had paid tribute to him while lamenting how premature his death had been.
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“There’s been lots of beautiful messages about Gareth and his family have been very kind to us and kept us informed about the details of his struggle,” the devastated star revealed.
He then added: “But look, um, Gareth didn’t make it. Gareth didn’t make it and we will miss him intensely.”
He described his co-star in glowing terms, calling him a “kind, gentle, funny, fascinating man”, before having to pause to prevent himself from breaking down.
“Today’s show features Gareth’s best bits. You’re allowed to cry, but you have to laugh as well. I think he would have insisted on that,” he concluded.
Heartbroken Frank had been working on Absolute Radio with Gareth for almost a decade at the time of the latter’s death, after they joined forces in 2014.
In that time, the pair had also been on the road together as Gareth was a support act for his tour in both 2014 and 2020.
Meanwhile, Frank also revealed that while he had been open about his feelings for Gareth publicly, he typically likes to keep his private life under wraps – unlike in his earlier days.
“I don’t talk about my own sex life on stage any more for the same reason I don’t talk about climbing trees. I’m not really a practitioner,” he explained to the Telegraph.
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