Who are Jason Watkins and Clara Francis? What happened to their daughter Maude?

Jason Watkins and his wife Clara Francis opened up about their heartbreak over the death of their daughter Maude and  revealed it could have been ‘avoided’.

The actor, 60, and his wife tragically lost their daughter when she was just two years old in 2011 after she went undiagnosed with sepsis while suffering from flu.

The married couple have been working on a new documentary, Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, which will see them offer support to other families suffering through grief.

Revealing Maude’s death was ‘avoidable’, Clara said: ‘I’ve always felt with Maude, she was just unlucky (…). That makes it so much more painful to me because this is a death that could have been avoided.’

As their documentary is set to air on ITV at 9pm on Thursday March 30, who are Jason and Clara and what happened to their daughter Maude?

Child: The actor, 60, and his wife tragically lost their daughter when she was just two years old back in 2011 after she went undiagnosed with sepsis while suffering from flu

Who are Jason Watkins and Clara Francis? 

Jason is an English stage and film actor best known for his leading role in two-part 2014 drama The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies. 

He also portrayed Prime Minister Harold Wilson in the third series of Netflix’s hit The Crown and starred alongside David Tennant in 2020’s serial killer drama Des.

Jason is married to jewellery and fashion designer Clara and the pair tied the knot back in 2014. 

It is not known how they met or how long they had been together before getting married.

The couple welcomed daughters Bessie and Maude and a son Gilbert together. But tragedy struck when their daughter Maude tragically died at the age of two in 2011.

Jason was previously married to actress Caroline Harding and they share two older children – Freddie and Pip.

Career: Jason is an English stage and film actor best known for his leading role in two-part 2014 drama The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies

Relationship: Jason is married to jewellery and fashion designer Clara and the pair tied the knot back in 2014. As well as late daughter Maude, they share children Bessie and Gilbert

What happened to their daughter Maude? 

Jason tragically found his two-year-old daughter Maude, who had been suffering from flu, dead in her bed on New Year’s Day morning in 2011.

Despite two hospital visits, her flu symptoms masked the sepsis and she went undiagnosed.

Sepsis, known as the ‘silent killer’, strikes when an infection such as blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs. 

If caught early enough, it’s easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, but these must be given as soon as sepsis is suspected – it strikes with frightening speed and, for every hour of delay, a patient’s chance of dying increases 8 per cent. 

The couple recently spoke to Giovanna Fletcher on her Happy Mum, Happy Baby about Maude’s tragic death and said they believe it was ‘avoidable’.

Detailing what happened, Clara said: ‘I’ve always felt with Maude, she was just unlucky. You know, another child may have gone to A&E 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. (…) 

‘To know that your child could potentially be a 14-year-old girl going out having a really fabulous life when it didn’t happen for her is particularly difficult. (…) 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.’

Tragic: Jason found his two-year-old Maude, who had been suffering from flu, dead in her bed on New Year’s Day morning in 2011

Devastating: Despite two hospital visits, her flu symptoms masked the sepsis and she went undiagnosed

Remembering how Maude’s sepsis began to manifest, Jason explained: ‘(Maude) had a cold and a sore throat, she had sort of a husky voice for a while, which we enjoyed because it was funny in a way. 

‘We never thought it was serious, and of course probably at that point it wasn’t. And it must’ve gone on about a week, and we thought (…) ‘this should have shifted by now’ So we took her to the GP, and I was concerned that it had gone to the chest.’

Clara, who works as a fashion designer, continued: ‘So, I then took her to the A&E, (…) and the doctor was like ‘You know what, she’s got croup. It’s fine! Give her these steroids’ (…) He was very reassuring.

Jason added: ‘So, she went to sleep that night. Then the next day, (…) she woke and was having problems.’

Clara said: ‘She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t find breath.’

Jason said: ‘She was losing consciousness; she was pale and flopping. (…) So we then decided not to order an ambulance, we just got in the car (…) and we were trying to keep her awake by shouting. 

‘It was really awful for about 15 minutes, to get to the hospital. After an hour she was sort of calmer, her temperature had fallen. (…) Then it was a consultant that said ‘It might be better to take her home because there’s more familiar surroundings.’ It didn’t feel right at the time, and that’s when the guilt comes in of course.’

Clara, who also shares daughter Bessie and son Gilbert with Jason, explained: ‘Then in the morning, Bessie came in our room, because she shared a room with Maude, and said, ‘I can’t wake up Maude, and I just knew. Because there was a part of me, my sort of motherly instinct was, she is really ill.

‘But because the doctors kept saying, ‘its fine’ I thought ‘oh ok’. (…) Because, before something like this happens you are trusting of doctors (…) you kind of go ‘if the doctor, who went to medical school, is telling me this then I’m going to believe it.’ But when I look back my instinct was, no this is really serious. And I wish I had been more trusting of my instinct, which I am now.’

Anguish: The couple recently spoke to Giovanna Fletcher on her Happy Mum, Happy Baby about Maude’s tragic death and said they believe it was ‘avoidable’

Parents: Speaking of their loss, Jason said: ‘You expect there are going to be several, many a lifetime full of (special moments), but of course in our case there wasn’t’

Clara explained that while making their ITV documentary, it was the first time they had sat down together and gone through in touch sort of forensic detail the circumstances leading up to her death and the day she died.

She said that in the wake of the death of Maude they both attended therapy separately and later realised they both remember the day of her death ‘completely differently’.

Clara said: ‘Maude died (…) in that night between new year’s eve and new year’s day. And, I remember the Christmas before, so it would have been 2 weeks before, my grandmother was still alive, and we were at my mums. I remember videoing the girls (…) cooking in the kitchen with my grandma. 

‘And I remembering thinking ‘I’m going to look back on this one day, because my grandmother isn’t going to be here anymore’ And then I remember when Maude died thinking, you were the one that was supposed to die not Maude and being quite cross about it. 

‘Of course, nobody should be dying, but you know she was 93 and she was still alive, and she even said to me ‘it should’ve been me’ and I think I probably said ‘yes, it should’ve been you, because you’re 93.’

She added: ‘I remember feeling a deep shame after Maude died (…) that I had not savoured every single second of it. But of course, I know in my logical mind that’s ridiculous. Because nobody thinks their child is going to die.’

Jason said: ‘And you expect that it’s going to keep happening. (…) Because you expect there are going to be several, many a lifetime full of (special moments), but of course in our case there wasn’t.’

When will the documentary air?

The couple have filmed a documentary, titled Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, detailing the heartbreaking loss of their young daughter Maude.

Grief: The couple have filmed a documentary Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie detailing the heartbreaking loss of their young daughter Maude

Documentary: The programme is set to air on ITV1 at 9pm on Thursday March 30 and will see them recall the very emotional death of their child

The programme is set to air on ITV1 at 9pm on Thursday March 30 and will see them recall the very emotional death of their child.

They will also offer support to other families suffering through grief throughout the documentary as they navigate their own loss.

Speaking on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Clara said making the documentary was the first time they had sat down together and gone through in forensic detail the circumstances leading up to her death and the day she died.

If you need further support or information about bereavement and grief, mental health charity Mind can be contacted via 0300 123 3393.