Only Fools and Horses star Sue Holderness has opened up about suffering a devastating family tragedy, revealing that her little brother died when he was just three years old.
The 76-year-old actor, best known for playing Marlene Boyce in the classic David Jason sitcom, has shared her family’s story on the A Night in with Sally Lindsay podcast, adding that she “doesn’t tell many people” what happened.
Holderness, who was 13 when her brother Simon died, explained: “When he was three-and-a-half, it was New Year’s Eve 1963, and mum had gone up to check on Simon about half past seven and he looked as though he’d gone a slightly funny colour.
“Then she found she couldn’t wake him up and he was rushed to hospital. And he went into a coma out of which he never recovered.”
Holderness continued: “Our memory was New Year’s Day mum and dad sobbing and coming in and breaking the news to us that Simon had died.
“My mum was very stoic about it, and my father was absolutely broken by it. It completely destroyed him. My father didn’t ever really get over it.”
The 76-year-old added that her brother’s death “changed the dynamic in the house”. “I think losing a child does, doesn’t it?” she said. “I didn’t cry about anything until I was 16, nothing seemed that sad. You find a way for getting over it.”
Reflecting on her decision to share the story, she added: “It’s probably good for people to know that with these ghastly things, you think you can’t possibly go on living, but you do find a way of going on living and like just relishing and enjoying the times that you did have with that little person.”
Holderness began her career on the stage in the eighties, before landing roles in the likes of ITV sitcom Bless This House and comedy-drama Minder. She made her debut as Marlene, the glamorous wife of John Challis’s Boycie, in Only Fools and Horses in 1985.
The money-loving couple fast became fan favourites and appeared as series regulars throughout both the classic sitcom’s initial run and its noughties Christmas specials. Boycie and Marlene then took centre stage in the spin-off The Green Green Grass, which aired four seasons from 2005 to 2009, and saw the pair and their teenage son swap Peckham for Shropshire.
Holderness is now starring in Channel 5 crime drama The Madame Blanc Chronicles alongside former Coronation Street actor Sally Lindsay.
