Richard E Grant shares heartache as he reveals his wife Joan Washington has died, aged 71

Richard E Grant has shared his pain over losing his beloved wife Joan Washington as he reveals she has died aged 71.

Richard E Grant has opened up on the death of his dear wife Joan Washington and declares 'our hearts are broken'.

The actor shared that his wife of 35 years passed away on Thursday night. The couple, who married in 1986, share a daughter Olivia, 32. And Richard is also stepfather to Joan’s son Tom, 45, from her first marriage.

In paying tribute to the "love of his life", Richard tweeted a video of the pair dancing together to Only You by The Platters, which ended with them embracing.

He captioned the clip, ‘ONLY YOU! Joan – Love of my Life & Giver of Life to our daughter Olivia. Our hearts are broken with the loss of your Life last night. 35 years married & 38 together.'

And he revealed her sweet moniker, when he added, ‘To be truly known and seen by you, is your immeasurable gift. Do not forget us, sweet Monkee-mine.’

And both friends and fans have sent their condolences to the Can You Forgive Me star.

David Baddiel wrote, 'Very sorry to hear this, Richard. Thinking of you.'

Joan worked as a vocal coach and actress Eva Pope added, 'Oh my heart aches for you….deep condolences Richard. She taught me in that very house..'

And actress Tamzin Outhwaite wrote, 'Oh Richard, I am so sorry. From afar yours looked like the most beautiful love affair. sending you and Olivia my deepest condolences. xx'

Meanwhile, one fan said, 'Oh Richard, I'm so so sorry for your loss. Your deep love and adulation for Joan is clear and evident in everything you wrote and shared about her. I wish you and Olivia peace in your grief and joy in her memory.'

And another shared, 'My elderly grandmother once had her purse pinched in a supermarket in Richmond. Your wife was very kind to her and stayed with her until the police came. My sympathies.'

Last year Richard shared some beautiful photos from their family album which captured their happy marriage, he captioned them, 'Married @joandialect 34 years ago today & together for 37 years and counting! ❤️💍❤️🎂❤️🎩'

Richard and Joan met when she was teaching an accent session at an acting school in December 1982.

Joan had suffered three miscarriages in their journey to becoming parents together, and sadly, Richard and Joan’s first child Tiffany died shortly after she was born prematurely. They described daughter Oliva as their 'miracle baby'.

Richard once revealed that he wasn't a fan of marriage but admitted that changed when he met Joan. He said, "Before I got married, I didn’t hold any store by it. My parents were divorced when I was 11 and it made such a profound impression on my life that I suppose I thought that by not getting married, you could avoid your life being carved in two. But that changed."

And his wife featured in BBC's A Taste of My Life in which Nigel Slater took Richard E Grant on a journey through his food past. A rare clip of his wife cooking his favourite breakfast porridge recipe at home can be seen below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6dz6lmA_TQ

Sending our condolences to Richard and the family.