Patsy Palmer, renowned for her role as Bianca Jackson on EastEnders, has shared an emotional update regarding her Malibu home amid the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
Having lived in Malibu with her family for the past decade, she expressed feelings of helplessness after returning to London to film EastEnders just before the fires struck. In an Instagram post, Patsy revealed that her home survived the blazes, which have destroyed numerous communities around LA, including Malibu.
Patsy Palmer opened up on the Lorraine show earlier today, January 14. She shared her emotional journey and the relief of learning that her Malibu home survived the fires, which have caused widespread destruction in the area.
She said: "You know it's only stuff, but I really love all my bits and pieces. I know it's nothing compared to human life but for the kids it is their whole world. For me it was really sad thinking of Bertie, you know that age of 14 when you just start hanging around and all your experiences with your friends. That was sad for me to think that has all been taken away from them.
"At drop off we see all the groups of kids and we always say 'isn't it lovely they get to hang out in these beautiful places?' It's sunny, late nights, all of it, it's just magical and it's just taken away from them. And these kids have had it happen a lot to them in the last few years. For them it's very traumatising."
Patsy has four children. Her eldest, Charley Palmer Rothwell, is 32 years old and has pursued a career in acting, appearing in films such as Dunkirk and the TV series Our Girl. Her second child, Fenton Merkell, is 24 years old and works as a model. Emilia Merkell, her third child, is 23 years old and also works as a model. Her youngest, Bertie Merkell, is 14 years old. Patsy has been married twice: first to Alfie Rothwell, with whom she has Charley, and later to Richard Merkell, with whom she has Fenton, Emilia, and Bertie. In April 2014, she and her family moved to Malibu, California.
Image:
Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Fenton, who traveled to the UK to join his mother, also chimed in during the interview. He said: "I was a bit worried about the air quality, so I thought I'd just come be with my mum, but my sister, brother, and dad are still over there as well so hopefully we can get them over here but we have to figure out the dogs as well."
"My sister and her mates are getting together. They're helping as many people as they can." He added: "All of my best friends have lost their homes."
Thousands of properties have been destroyed and 24 people have been killed in the devastating wildfires that have hit Los Angeles since Tuesday last week.
Horrific photos have emerged showing entire neighbourhoods being destroyed by the flames, families being forced to escape from their homes and firefighters working around the clock to combat the fires.
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads.
English (US) ·