Kate Beckinsale reveals she can't stand tearing down Christmas trees as they remind her of her late stepfather

Kate Beckinsale can't bear to tear down her Christmas trees while decorating them with her late stepfather.

The 50-year-old actress was devastated when Roy Battersby died on January 10, aged 87, and on Saturday (20.04.24) she celebrated his 50th birthday with an emotional post reflecting on the impact of her life expressed continued sadness over his death.

She said on Instagram alongside a series of photos of filmmaker Roy and their last birthday together: “The birthday we didn't know was your last.

“There will be no FaceTime today. I watch you open your presents in the middle of the night. No one received gifts with greater joy.

“I can't take down my Christmas trees – they were the last Christmas trees in the world that I will decorate with you.

“This birthday/not birthday, Christmas/not Christmas in April. Oh Roy, oh God, I miss you.”

Kate recently returned home from the hospital despite having health problems.

Her stepfather – who her actress mother Judy Loe, 77, married after Kate's TV actor father Richard Beckinsale died of a heart attack in March 1979, aged 31 – died after a “short” illness.

In the photos Kate shared on Saturday, Roy could be seen smiling as he walked past greenhouses.

There was also a snap of him looking at a birthday card at a table surrounded by cards.

Kate also shared a picture on Instagram of herself in what appeared to be her living room at home – among giant pink and white decorated Christmas trees.

She also reposted the message: “For personal reasons I'm going to scream.”

Kate announced Roy's death in a statement on her Instagram Stories in January, saying: “It is with great sadness that the family of film and television director Roy Battersby announce the news of his recent death following a short period of illness.

“He passed away peacefully in Los Angeles surrounded by his family on January 10, 2024 at the age of 87.

“The funeral will take place in London, details to follow.”

Kate's Instagram bio includes a link to people devastated by the death of a pet – and the quote from Khushwant Singh's novel “In the Company of Women”: “A fatherless girl thinks everything is possible and nothing is certain.”