Anna Maxwell Martin's husband's cause of death revealed as she details her grief three years on

Ludwig and Line of Duty star, Anna Maxwell Martin has spoken candidly about losing her ex-husband, Roger Michell, who died suddenly in 2021

The tragic cause of Anna Maxwell Martin's ex-husband's death has been revealed after the actress spoke candidly about losing the acclaimed director.

Notting Hill star, Roger Michell, died in 2021, aged 65, a year after he and Anna, 47, who share two daughters, had announced their separation.

His death by heart attack came on the same day of the final sound mix of what would be Roger's final film, the Prime documentary Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts, which was released posthumously.

Kevin Loader, the producer of the film, said at the time: "We had been doing the final day of the final sound mix and then I got a call – he had had a heart attack. This was his last film that he completed, and I'm glad because we had a good time making it."

The Mail reports that according to Roger's death certificate, a post-mortem examination showed that the director died from a) Acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and b) left coronary atheroma (a fatty deposit build-up on the coronary artery). The Senior Coroner for Hertfordshire, Geoffrey Sullivan, certified the death, but no inquest was held.

Speaking candidly after Roger's passing on BBC Women's Hour, Anna admitted she experienced a sense of "financial terror" after the sudden tragedy. The acclaimed actress said her immediate priority was to protect their daughters, Maggie, 15, and Nancy, 13, while facing an uncertain financial future.

Speaking ahead of her new four-part true crime drama, Until I Kill You, which launches on ITVX on Sunday in which she plays nurse Delia Balmer, who endured a relationship with convicted double murderer John Sweeney, Anna said: "My husband died three years ago and things were really difficult on every aspect of our lives. One of those was that there's a lot of stuff that comes with grief, and one of them is financial terror. And then there are real practicalities around your children and their mental health, and supporting them, which is your priority."

Anna added: "It was horrible to have to see my children walk that road. But I’m pretty gritty and pretty strong, and I think I’m quite deft, I hope, at navigating life. I thought, 'I’ve just got to keep the motor chugging on'." Anna also shared her first experience with grief came in her 20s when she lost her father.

"When it happened to me when I was 24, I was very lonely," she shared. "I was very isolated because no one I knew had been through it what I'd been through - I didn't know those people. Then when it happened with Rog, I saw it more as, we’ve all got to keep it together for the kids."

Anna, who is best known for her roles in Motherland and Line of Duty, started dating Notting Hill director Roger in 2004, before the couple tied the knot in 2010 and welcomed their daughters.

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