SIR David Attenborough is a legendary TV star, best known for his passion for wildlife.
The iconic broadcaster who has captured the hearts of the nation turned 100 years old today, but sadly lost his beloved wife in the 90s.
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Presenter David Attenborough with his late wife Jane Attenborough Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Who was David Attenborough’s wife Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel?
Sir David Attenborough has lived an incredible life in front of the camera, with a career that has spanned over six decades.
He is a treasured historian, whose documentaries continue to thrill fans around the world.
Although he is famous across the globe, he is more private when it comes to his personal life.
David wed his beloved wife Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel in 1950.
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The couple lived together in their Middlesex family home, up until her death.
Did David Attenborough and Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel have any children?
Together, David and Jane welcomed two children, a son called Robert and a daughter called Susan.
Despite having such a famous dad, his kids have stayed out of the spotlight.
David and Jane’s daughter Susan is a former primary school headmistress, while their son Robert is a senior lecturer in bio-anthropology for the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra.
In an interview with The Times, David once shared a story from his son Robert’s eighth birthday.
He gave him a salamander (a lizard-like animal) as a present, just like his own father had done.
Recalling the sweet story, he said: “We unpacked this – it came in a box – I took it out and showed him.
“I said, ‘Now there you are.’ This thing just sat on his hand. I said, ‘Put him in his new home.’
“He put him in his new home, and it very slowly walked down to the water and there out from beneath its tail came a little one.
“My son looked at that with his eyes coming out of his head – as did I.”
Meanwhile, during a 2017 interview with Louis Theroux in the Radio Times, David opened up about his regrets regarding missing some of his children’s youth.
He said: “If I do have regrets, it is that when my children were the same age as your children, I was away for three months at a time.
“If you have a child of six or eight and you miss three months of his or her life, it’s irreplaceable. You miss something.”
David also revealed in 2020, how he wanted his children to be educated about the natural world.
Speaking again to The Times, he said: “I think it’s terrible that children should grow up without knowing what a tadpole is. Just awful.
“I can’t criticise other people how they bring up their children, but in my time I could, and did, get on a bicycle and cycle 15 miles to a quarry and spend the day looking for dragonflies, grass snakes and newts.”
What was Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel’s cause of death?
David was married to his wife Jane for almost half a century before she sadly died of a brain haemorrhage in 1997.
In his memoir Life on Air, he shared his beloved spouse’s final moments, and explained how he flew back from a job in New Zealand to be with her when she was in a coma, so that he could hold her hand.
Talking about her, David said: “The focus of my life, the anchor had gone… now I was lost.”
He also spoke of his grief to the Radio Times, and told the outlet: “You accommodate things… you deal with things.
“I’m quite used to solitude in the wilds but, no, an empty house is not what I enjoy. But my daughter’s there.
“In moments of grief – deep grief – the only consolation you can find is in the natural world.”
How is Sir David Attenborough celebrating his 100th birthday party?
In an audio message that went out a day prior to his birthday, Sir David Attenborough said: “I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas.
“I have been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings, from pre-school groups to care home residents, and countless individuals and families of all ages.”
To celebrate his 100th birthday, Sir David will appear live at the Royal Albert Hall for a live 90-minute event dedicated to him.
Scottish TV presenter Kirsty Young is set to host the celebration, with a plethora of esteemed guests such as Sir Michael Palin, Steve Backshall and Chris Packham also joining to reflect on Attenborough’s lasting legacy.
Frontman of Bastille, Dan Smith, will team up with the BBC Concert Orchestra to play hit song “Pompeii” – which appeared in Planet Earth III.
Along with Icelandic band Sigur Rós, who will play “Hoppípolla”, which was used in promotions for Planet Earth and Planet Earth II.
More musicians that featured in Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth TV series will also be performing tonight.
The live event will air live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 8:30pm.
