The actors on getting off on the wrong foot, taming their wild sides, and navigating grief together
Born in Somerset in 1968, Sarah Parish is an actor best known for her roles in W1A, Industry and Stay Close. She met fellow actor James Murray, 50, while working on the BBC drama Cutting It and they married in December 2007. In 2014, the couple set up the Murray Parish Trust in memory of their first child, Ella-Jayne, who died at eight months of a congenital heart defect in 2009. Relaunched as Imagine This, it is the only UK charity solely dedicated to supporting the mental wellbeing of ill children and their families; earlier this year the pair received MBEs in recognition of this work. Sarah and James live in Hampshire with their teenage daughter, Nell.
This picture was taken in Abersoch, north Wales. It was a beautiful summer and the first time I’d been to the house Jim used to own with his brother and sister. Not only was it meaningful to visit an important place for Jim, but it was a fun, party holiday. I look very carefree. We had been together a year.
Although this image is very idyllic, the first part of our relationship was quite dramatic. It was the early 00s and we were out a lot in Soho, having a great time mostly, but also being fairly tempestuous together. The thing you really love about somebody often becomes the thing you find threatening. While Jim and I were drawn to each other because we’re both out-there, sociable characters, we probably tried to tame each other a bit – which, funnily enough, didn’t work.
