The BBC broadcaster Evan Davis has revealed he learned on his wedding day that his father had taken his own life. Davis’s father, Quintin, who was 92 and had cancer, had left a note saying his “system is closing down” and he had “no alternative”.
Radio 4 host Davis told the Sunday Times how his brother had called him to break the news during his wedding to Guillaume Baltz in July 2022, and the occasion turned into “a very warm-hearted, supportive, reflective day”.
Davis, 61, told guests in a speech that his father had passed away, saying: “We’ve just had some news. My father died. But I don’t want you to be alarmed. He was very elderly and it was definitely time. There’s actually nothing we can do. So I’m going to propose that we carry on.”
He later told his guests how his father had died.
Davis, who has fronted shows including TV’s Dragons’ Den and BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, said his father had made a “proud and loving” speech during his civil partnership ceremony with in 2012.
The couple’s 2022 wedding in London was a follow-up to their earlier ceremony, with a number of guests who were not at the first celebration, including two dozen friends and neighbours.
During the wedding reception, Davis said he received a message from his brother, Roland, telling him to “call ASAP”. When Roland told him their father had died, Davis hung up and immediately gave his husband the news. He called back five minutes later, and learned that his father had taken his own life.
Evans said that messages from Roland and his other brother, Beric, helped him to continue with the day. He added: “We’ve all speculated on what the hell was going on in his head … There’s no good day, is there? And I know he didn’t do it to spoil our day.”
Davis said that when he went back to work the next day, his colleagues asked him about the wedding and he “burst into tears”.
Quintin had been diagnosed with bowel cancer and his heart was failing. He had left loving messages for his wife, Hazel, and his three sons. Davis’s parents had been together for 65 years, but his mother was admitted to a care home during the pandemic after she started to show signs of dementia.
Davis said his father “felt very bad” that he could not look after his wife. “Having been together for 65 years, suddenly being on his own at home was a big deal … I think he felt guilt at not being able to look after her,” he said.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
