Strictly Come Dancing's Chizzy Akudolu has 'lost a lot of myself' since her parents died
Strictly Come Dancing alum Chizzy Akudolu lost her dad, Raphael, in July, and her mum, Maria, in November 2020.
Chizzy Akudolu has "lost a lot of [herself]" following the deaths of her beloved parents.
The 53-year-old actress' dad, Raphael, died on July 27 after spending two weeks in hospital, and her mum, Maria, passed away in November 2020.
They were her constant sources of love, support, and guidance, and with them gone, Chizzy feels a loss and disconnected from the people who helped shape who she is.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz at the 2026 Best Heroes Awards, sponsored by DFS, at The Waldorf Hilton, London on Tuesday night (13.10.26), the Strictly Come Dancing 2017 contestant said: "I've lost a lot of myself.
"I lost a lot of myself when I lost my mum, and now I've lost more.
"These are the two caregivers, people that have been the one constant in my life. They are my rocks; they are my role models.
"My dad was the first man who loved me. My mum obviously is the same. And they were nurturers, and they made me who I am.
"And now they've gone.
"And even just the little things of, ‘I want to show you a picture.’ I can't show them the picture because they're gone.
"But then I also try and remember, ‘Oh my gosh, they were amazing.' And we had so many laughs."
On August 3, Chizzy took to Instagram to share that Raphael had died, and she has since been inundated with "beautiful" messages of love and support, which have touched her deeply.
However, the Holby City star noted that the comments can "never take away the pain" and "sometimes get a bit overwhelming", prompting thoughts on whether she should have announced his death.
But ultimately, Chizzy thought it was the right thing to do, adding: "A lot of people didn’t know that my dad was ill, and I'd rather people know all in one go so they don't ask, 'How’s your dad? Is he still in hospital.'
"Honestly, once you get five or so comments, you start to get a bit overwhelmed, and even as I was posting it, I started crying because I knew what was going to happen.
"But honestly, it is a way of just letting enough people know at one go."
The former Loose Women panellist speaks to Maria in her dreams, and Chizzy hopes it will not be long before she can do the same with Raphael.
The Sorry, I Didn't Know host said: "My mum's in my dreams a lot. My dad is yet to appear. He has appeared once. It was very brief, but I need him to appear so we can talk, like I do with my mum."
Chizzy said that it "freaking sucks" that she has lost both her parents, but continuing to "live and love" and knowing that Raphael and Maria are with her in spirit is making the grieving process a bit easier for her.
