Warning: Some readers may find some information in this article distressing
Actor Ashley Jensen, best known for her parts in Ugly Betty and Extras, has won over many fans with her warm sense of humour and enormous likeability. Behind the scenes, however, the 54-year-old has had to deal with a tragic heartbreak, after her husband Terence Beesley died by suicide under devastating circumstances.
Terence passed away at their family home in Camerton, near Bath, on November 30, leaving behind Ashley and their son Francis, who was eight years old at the time. Ashley was the one who discovered her husband, and although paramedics attempted to revive him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A subsequent inquest determined that the 60-year-old had died by suicide, while in a statement read before Avon Coroner's Court, Ashley said that she was "truly devastated" by her loss and that she would "never forget" that day. Ashley, who described her late husband as "independent and outgoing" with many friends, told the court: "Terry and I had been together for 18 years but I had no idea he was capable of what he did."
In her statement, Ashley told how she had been communicating with Terence via text and email on the afternoon of his death, and stated that she had been left "extremely shocked by what happened that night". Ashley first met Terence in 1999 while working on a production of the Shakespeare play King Lear.
Like Ashley, Terence had enjoyed a successful acting career, with his best-known roles including the part of Buxton in ITV's royal period drama Victoria and General Bennigsen in BBC One's 2016 adaptation of War and Peace. The couple married in 2007, while Ashley was filming in the US, and welcomed son Francis two years later. After living in London and LA, they made a home for themselves in Somerset.
This comes as Ashley joins the cast of BBC Scottish crime drama Shetland, playing new Detective Inspector, Ruth Calder.
Season eight of Shetland will begin Wednesday, November 1 at 9 pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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