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Richard E Grant's wife Joan Washington died in September 2021, eight months after she was diagnosed with lung cancer.

The star, who appears in The Other Bennet Sister on the BBC, was left devastated by her death, describing her as a "lioness".

Richard revealed they'd discussed whether he might date after her death and Joan gave him some strict instructions.

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Speaking on Lulu’s podcast Turning Points in 2025, the 68-year-old shared: "They say you should never meet your idols [Barbra Streisand] and after I had this conversation with her and came back to London, Joan said - even though [Streisand] was then 79 years old – ‘If she wasn't married to James Brolin, would you still jump her bones?’

“And I said, ‘Darling, you know the answer to that.' And she said, ‘Well, I've got you, you're never getting away.’”

Richard, who shares daughter Olivia with Joan, added: "She was hilarious - a month before she died, she went through all the women, the women who were either single, divorced or available or widowed, that we knew, and she basically went through all of them like a lioness and gave me a reason why I shouldn't pursue any of them.”

The actor explained it showed "how much she loved me" and he stated he is "not there on a dating app".

Further detailing his heartbreak he told the host: "I feel fulfilled and sustained without feeling like I've lost my better half, which I have.”

Richard can next be seen as Mr Bennet in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice spin-off The Other Bennet Sister and it's a role he's "always wanted to play".

The series follows Mary Bennet, who is largely ignored and forgotten by her family and described as a wallflower.

"As a father of one daughter, having five on screen was a delight. The energy is infectious," Richard said of filming. "Ryan Sampson’s Mr Collins is innately funny - he’s absolutely brilliant."

On why the story still resonates with audiences, he continued: "It’s about families - and everyone is born into one. Jealousy, favouritism, neglect, indulgence, money, insecurity - all timeless. Jane Austen captured all of it."

Richard hopes audiences get "enormous enjoyment in following Mary’s story," adding: "She’s the least known of the Bennet sisters - it’s time for her to shine."

The Other Bennet Sister airs tonight on BBC One at 8pm