Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding has revealed the death of her former partner inspired the storyline for the latest film.
In Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Renee Zellweger’s character struggles to move on after the death of her husband, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).
Fielding has now opened up about her own experience with grief after her ex, The Simpsons writer Kevin Curran, died aged 59 in 2016 following a long illness.
The writer, 66, shares Dashiell, 20, and Romy, 18, with Curran and they lived together for nine years in Los Angeles.
Despite their split in 2009, she remained close with Curran until his death, which she said sent her into a “dark place”.
Fielding revealed their family formed a dark sense of humour to cope with his tragic passing.
She told The Sunday Times: “We have a saying in our family: 'don't get too #deathy.'
“I'm always reluctant to be too personal but the children's father did die and he wrote for The Simpsons, so no joke was too dark to make.
“That made me see you don't have to sit around feeling sorry for your loss- people still stay the same person when something bad happens.”
Fielding said her children have “gone through quite a lot, so they’re quite emotionally intelligent”.
The author explained that scenes in the new film, which show Bridget’s kids posting homemade cards to Darcy, are about them “processing what has happened to their father all the time with her. It’s not a taboo area”.
She added that she sees grief like a “muddy puddle,” as it sends her into a “dark place” but she feels better when she comes out of it.
Jones was seen coping with the aftermath of Darcy’s death in the trailer for the fourth film in the romantic comedy franchise, based on Fielding’s 2013 book.
The iconic singleton married human rights lawyer Darcy in 2016’s Bridget Jones’ Baby after an on-off romance.
The newest film sees Jones navigating life as a single mother-of-two after Darcy was killed on a humanitarian mission in Sudan four years earlier.
One Day star Leo Woodall plays Jones’ younger love interest Roxster while Chiwetel Ejiofor depicts Jones’ daughter’s teacher Mr Wallaker.
The fourth installment shows them competing for Jones’ affections as her friends encourage her to get back into dating.
