Australian actress Jessica Marais is grieving the devastating loss of her mother, Karen, according to close friend and Packed to the Rafters co-star Hugh Sheridan.
Announcing the tragic news over Instagram, Sheridan, 35, penned a touching tribute to his “best friend” Jess and her mother in an Instagram post that read:
“This is for my best friend, we go back to when we were babies starting at University of NSW, literally living on an oily rag and sharing our lunches, struggling but always laughing, living in our imagination on the buses and trains of Sydney,” he began.
Sheridan continued: “We’ve helped each other through our lives changing in so many ways. Our wins and highs met extreme lows sometimes, but we always made it through. I can’t tell you how shit I feel knowing I can’t hug you right now. To have distance between us when I want to be with you.”
“I know we’ve spoken since and we’re pretty private usually but I really wanted to let everyone know how much I’m grieving for my dearest and sweetest friend who’s now lost both of her parents far too young.”
Marais lost her father to a heart attack while he was returning from when she was nine years old – six months after her family moved to Australia from South Africa.
Hugh added in his Instagram tribute, “I have the best memories of us and Karen… remember we would make her laugh till she was going to wee. She was so proud of you and so am I.”
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“I love you Jess. I’ll be back very soon and I will hug you for a very long time (after I get lot of quarantine). I found these photos from the last time I hugged you at my birthday in June ♥”
Hugh ended the post with Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken in memory of Karen.
Our thoughts are with Jess and her family during this time.
