Tabby McTat author Julia Donaldson's tragedies - sudden loss and health battle
Julia Donaldson fans young and old are in for a real treat this Christmas Day, with the animated adaptation of her beloved children's book Tabby McTat sent to land just in time for the post-turkey slump.
For those yet to be acquainted with this sweet tale of friendship, Tabby McTat follows the adventures of a musical cat and his busker friend, Fred. Set on the streets of London, narrator Jodie Whittaker describes the charming film as "a beautiful story about embracing change and the transitions in life as well."
Julia, 75, has of course built a name for herself as one of the most beloved children's writers, with her highly imaginative book The Gruffalo regarded as a classic of the genre. Hampstead-born Julia, who was the Children's Poet Laureate between 2011 and 2013, has also written the well-liked Room on the Broom, Stick Man, and The Gruffalo's Child.
The multi-award-winning author, whose books have been translated into more than 50 languages, first discovered her love of writing in the late 1980s when she began pitching for songwriting commissions for the BBC. Her first big break came in 1991 when Methuen Publishing requested the use of her song, 'A Squash and a Squeeze', launching a fantastically successful story-telling career.
Despite her enormous success, however, Julia's personal life hasn't always been easy, and she's had to deal with plenty of tragedy.
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Julia and German illustrator Axel Scheffler (Corbis via Getty Images)
Julia and the famous Gruffalo (PA)Julia and her husband Malcolm have been married since 1972 and share three sons together, Hamish, Alastair, and Jerry. But Hamish tragically committed suicide in 2003 at the age of 25 after struggling with Schizoaffective disorder. Julia based one of her books, Running on the Cracks in memory of her son, which revolved around a protagonist who falls into the world of the mentally ill. She created the book whilst she and Malcolm were trying to help Hamish navigate life with his disorder.
Julia herself is also dealing with a devastating health condition, which has affected her since she was a teenager. Julia realised she had problems with her hearing when she couldn't hear a birdsong. This later developed to her missing the occasional words at the cinema, and the people around her, yet she never thought it was something to be concerned about.
It was after she had her first child at 29, when Julia realised she couldn't always hear him cry, that the author started to believe her problem was more serious than she'd realised. In an interview with The Mail, she revealed she had to be proactive: "We had a carry cot on wheels, so I made sure the baby was near me when he was asleep. I'd also leave all the doors open."
Julia and her book The Ugly Five (PA)She was later in her thirties diagnosed with "cookie-bite" disorder, which makes it difficult for her to hear due to a hole in her audible spectrum. The only familial case she could relate to was her great-aunt, who was also deaf. At first, she didn't require a hearing aid, but it was the disappointment after not being able to hear all the lines at a show in the theatre which prompted her to go back to the doctor. Finally, at the age of 41, she was prescribed a hearing aid.
"'It was lovely to follow a conversation in a quiet room. But it felt horrible blocking up my ear and picked up and magnified background noises, such as the clattering of cutlery," she said. Over the decades that Julia has been wearing hearing aids, she's recently started buying ones privately which are tailored by a practitioner to her needs.
Describing how they work, she said: "I still only wear one because even with the best aids the sound is slightly tinny. It means you get some natural sound, too. Hearing aids weren't perfect at first - far from it - but they've improved enormously over the years and opened up a world I thought I'd lost. Only recently, I've started going to the theatre again after avoiding it for 15 years."
You can catch Tabby McTat Christmas Day at 2:35pm, on BBC1
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch
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