‘I didn’t expect to be portrayed as a cannibal’: Rachael Stirling on eating her mother Diana Rigg’s ashes
When the actor confessed to ingesting a few flakes of her mother’s ashes on opening nights, reactions ranged from recognition to disgust. But, she says, grief makes animals of us all
TL;DR
- Rachael Stirling clarifies that her confession to eating a few grains of her mother Diana Rigg's ashes was a misrepresentation by the press.
- She describes the process of receiving her mother's ashes after cremation and the unusual weight and heaviness of the remains.
- Stirling explains she began carrying a small portion of her mother's ashes with her, finding comfort in their presence.
- Before performances, she developed a ritual of eating a small amount of the ashes to feel her mother's presence on stage.
- She defends this practice as a personal expression of grief and love, comparing it to other rituals and asserting it's natural and what her mother would have desired.