Former cricketer Andrew Strauss reveals how his late wife wanted ‘to do death well’ by preparing their two sons as she battled a rare lung cancer
- Ruth Strauss, 45, passed away from a rare form of lung cancer in December 2018
- Andrew appeared on ITV’s Lorraine where he spoke about coping with her death
- The couple met in 1998 and married in 2003 – they have two sons, Sam and Luca
- He has since set up a foundation in Ruth’s memory to raise funds to research rare forms of lung cancer and provide support to patients and their families
Former cricketer Andrew Strauss has spoken for the first time since the death of his wife Ruth from a rare form of lung cancer.
The father-of-two, 42, said it was ‘horrible’ knowing Ruth, 45, was going to die but that she wanted to ‘do death well’ and prepare their sons Sam, 13, and Luca, 10, for life after her passing.
Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine on Tuesday, Andrew, who stepped down from his position as director of cricket with the England and Wales Cricket Board to spend time caring for Ruth, also announced he has launched a charity in her memory.
The Ruth Strauss Foundation will help raise funds to research rare forms of lung cancer and provide support to patients and their families.
Andrew explained how Ruth, with their two sons, Sam (L) and Luca after winning the Ashes in 2009, prepared her family for her death
‘[Ruth] always talked about doing death well, talking to the kids so they knew what she was going through and they were well set up for life after her,’ Andrew explained.
‘She spent a lot of time and effort [while she was dying] and she had to be strong.’
The former director of cricket spoke of how their sons were adjusting to life following Ruth’s death from ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.
As well as the responsibility he now faced to make sure they moved forward and continued to grow: ‘My relationship with the boys has changed since Ruth’s death I have a different role now.
‘The boys are very strong, they are adapting to a new life very well. They have a strong support network, it’s not just me. It’s important to have that.’
He added of Ruth’s death: ‘We prepared each other as much as you could.’
The former cricketer opened up about life after Ruth’s death for the first time during an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine
Andrew Strauss’s wife Ruth died in December 2018 at the age of 46 after battling a rare form of lung cancer
In honour of his wife Andrew has since set up a foundation that will raise funds to research rare forms of lung cancer and provide support to patients and their families
Andrew met Ruth in Sydney in 1998, and the couple went on to marry five years later.
After captaining England to Ashes success over his wife’s home country in 2009, the Test star credited her for playing a major role in his success.
He told host Lorraine of why he was drawn to Ruth: ‘She was just a beautiful woman. She had empathy and care, and there were a lot of causes she felt passionate about.
‘She was one of these people that people would always turn to for advice and could connect with people that’s what attracted me to her.’
He laughed as he added: ‘She was quite fierce, I got in trouble a few times with her.
‘My success wouldn’t be for her. I was just playing club cricket when we met.’
Andrew met Ruth in his twenties and credits his success to her saying she encouraged him to pursue professional cricket
Andrew also urged others to speak about death and not to avoid seeking therapy when grieving.
‘The reality is we tend to leave people to grieve on their own. It’s a hard thing to know what to say. Having professional help is extremely important. See a counsellor before it gets bad,’ he said.
‘It’s also to start this conversation about death. There are only two days in your lives that you don’t have 24 hours; the day you are born and the day you die.’
Andrew explained further to Lorraine: ‘Just showing you care and you have empathy you are helping. We shouldn’t be afraid of doing that. Even to a virtual stranger.
‘It helped me get through those episodes, sometimes the grief hit me like a ten tonne truck and the support just helped me get through it.’
Lorraine airs on ITV, weekdays at 8.25am
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