Lesley Manville is a beloved on-screen actress, bringing joy to viewers with her roles in The Crown, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris and, most recently, the BBC murder mystery drama Moonflower Murders. However, Lesley has also struggled with losses in her life, which she recently opened up about while appearing on BBC's Desert Island Discs with Lauren Laverne.
During her discussion, she opened up about her split from Gary Oldman following the birth of their son, and spoke fondly about her older sister, Brenda, and her "really difficult life" following the loss of her husband and two children.
While explaining why she had picked the song Make You Feel My Love by Adele, she spoke very fondly about Brenda, who was nine years her senior and passed away from a brain tumour.
"She had a really difficult life, unbeknown to her she got married to a man who was carrying Huntington's chorea, which is a disease which doesn't present until you're an adult," Lesley explained on the show.
© GettyLesley went on to explain that Brenda's husband died from the illness, adding: "And of course the most awful thing was that her two daughters inherited it, so my nieces died as adults and Brenda had to live through that, watch it."
© Jonathan HessionWhile speaking about the struggle that Brenda went through with her two nieces, she took a moment to gather herself, saying: "Excuse me," while the show's presenter told her to take her time.
The 68-year-old continued: "How you begin to deal with losing your children, god knows, but the amazing thing about her is she went to live in the home where they lived out their lives, she went to work there so she could be with them.
© Scott Garfitt"With all of that tragedy in her life, she never put it upon you. She never made me feel guilty that I had a healthy, robust child. She'd celebrate Alfie, celebrate my life. She could have buried her head in the sand, been bitter, I'm sure she felt that life hadn't dealt her a fair lot but she didn't put that on other people at all. She was giggly, she was naughty, she was funny and I miss her hugely."
She added that she had selected the Adele hit because it reminded her of Brenda, who would just want you to feel good "even though her pain was so immense".
© Photo Credit: Keith Bernstein, NetflixLesley, who shares one child, Alfie, with her ex-husband, opened up to The Guardian about what she had learned from her big sister, saying that it made her feel more grateful for her healthy child and to have adventures. She explained: "I’ve been through run-of-the-mill things – divorce, heartache, all that regular stuff. What she went through was exceptional. She was quite an extraordinary woman."
