The Crown actor Jason Watkins has opened up about losing his daughter Maude to sepsis in 2011, sharing his heartbreaking story to raise awareness
12:29, 10 May 2026Updated 12:32, 10 May 2026
Jason Watkins on ‘journey of pain’ following tragic death of daughter, 2(Image: Rob Baker Ashton / Channel 4)
Jason Watkins has spoken openly about the heartbreaking loss of his daughter, 15 years after her passing.
The actor and his wife Clara lost their two year old to sepsis in 2011. Jason tragically discovered his daughter, who had been battling flu, deceased in her bed on New Year’s Day. Despite two visits to hospital, Maude’s flu symptoms concealed the sepsis and her condition remained undetected.
Following her death, Jason has been championing awareness of the devastating silent killer. Together with Clara, the couple have discussed their bereavement frankly and produced an ITV documentary, Jason and Clara: In Memory of Maude, in 2023.
During an appearance on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on Sunday (May 10), Jason reflected on the “journey of pain” he and his family have experienced since her passing.
The couple lost their two-year-old daughter in 2011(Image: Getty Images)
The television star – who shares daughter Bessie and son Gilbert with his wife – told host Alan that he was due to attend an event at parliament shortly to address sepsis and sepsis care, reports the Mirror.
He continued: “I have such a personal story, and I hope people connect with that.” Jason then made a poignant admission, stating: “My journey of pain, and my daughter Maude, and Clara my wife, my family what we’ve endured, I hope people connect with that.”
His daughter died from sepsis
In 2023, Jason and Clara appeared on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast to discuss the tragic loss of their child. Clara remarked: “I’ve always felt with Maude, she was just unlucky.
“You know, another child may have gone to AandE and they’ve had a consultant there who has gone ‘I think this could be sepsis’ and their child is alive.
“I think it’s important to say, some parents are listened to. I do believe it to be luck. That makes it so much more painful to me because this is a death that could have been avoided.”
Jason has been campaigning for awareness since(Image: David Levenson/Getty Images)
She continued: “Why didn’t I scream at shout at the hospital and demand they keep her there? I failed at the thing I was supposed to be doing, I was supposed to keep her alive.”
Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to infection and can present with a range of symptoms, which include confusion or disorientation, shortness of breath, high heart rate, fever, or shivering, extreme pain or discomfort and clammy or sweaty skin.
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh airs every Sunday at 9:30am
