At her home in Fowey, Cornwall, Dawn has a special smile for the camera; behind it is her daughter, 29-year-old Billie Henry, a talented photographer
There’s a certain intimacy to these photographs of Dawn French. Whether it’s a knowing smile to the camera, throwing her head back in laughter or striking a silly pose, the comedy actress looks natural and uninhibited. The reason, she explains, is because her daughter Billie took the pictures, which they have chosen to share exclusively with HELLO!.
”I think these photos are special because there’s a relationship in them”, says Dawn of the portraits, taken at her home in Fowey, Cornwall during lockdown.
”I love my daughter more than I love anyone in the world, so when somebody like that is taking your photo it’s an extraordinary experience.”
A skilled photographer, Billie, 29, takes pictures of her family all the time, says Dawn, 63, who decided to use some to coincide with the publication of her book Because of You. Besides being one of Britain’s best-loved comics for almost four decades, she is also a best-selling author, with four novels and two memoirs to her name. Writing is a passion and she loves the solitude it affords her.
”I’m a functioning introvert, really”, says the The Vicar of Dibley star. “I can do gregarious, big, showing-off stuff, and there’s a certain joy in it, but I’m 98% hermit and happy with that.”
FAMILY TRUTHS
The photos have an added poignancy given the subject matter of Dawn’s book, which begins with two women giving birth, only one of whom leaves the hospital with her baby. Centred around a stolen child, the two women’s lives become entwined 18 years later. It’s an emotionally charged story, exploring themes of identity and loss, secrets, lies and the family ties that bind us whether they are biological or not, with the complex relationship of mother and daughter at its core – and a heartbreaking twist at the end.
”I’m trying to write about that very strong mother line, which is just a remarkable, visceral, unconditional relationship”, says Dawn, who adopted Billie with her then husband, comedian and actor Lenny Henry, in 1991. She also has a stepdaughter, Lily, 29, and a stepson Olly, 26, with her husband of eight years, charity executive Mark Bignell.