Phil Spencer breaks down as he opens up for first time on parents both tragically dying in car crash

Phil Spencer broke down as he opened up for first time on his parents’ death.

The Location, Location, Location star lost his mum and dad in a tragic car accident back in August 2023.

Anne, 82, and Richard, 89, were trapped underwater for 20 minutes in a river on their family farm.

An inquest in November confirmed Phil’s mum had died of a lung infection and brain injury.

The couple were said to be on their way out for a pub lunch when their car went off the road and they were submerged in three feet of water. Their carer was also in the car and managed to escape through the window.

At the time, Phil’s Location, Location, Location co-star, Kirstie Allsopp announced his loss on social media.

Instagram/@philspencertv

She posted a snap of the couple and included in the caption: "They were farmers, animal lovers & devoted parents to Robert, Caryn, Helen & Philip and adored their 8 Grandchildren, the only blessing is that they died together, so will never have to mourn the loss of each other.”

Phil later paid tribute to his parents as he shared to social media: "As a family we are all trying to hold onto the fact mum and dad went together and neither will ever have to mourn the loss of the other one. Which is a blessing in itself.

"Mum said to me only a week ago that she had resigned to thinking, 'now it looks like we will probably go together', and so they did. That was what God had planned for them - and it was a good plan."

In a new interview with Daily Mail, he revealed how moved he was by what followed when he lost his mum and dad.

Instagram/@kirstiemallsopp

“I feel a lot of gratitude to people for the thousands of kind, supportive messages I got,” he said. “The whole thing was overwhelming, but that blew me away. People were very loving and thoughtful.”

During the interview, Phil broke down in tears as Kirstie spoke about the late couple.

She said: “When I went to the church service for them both, one of my dominant thoughts was that in 50 years’ time I hope there are still people around who are like Phil’s parents.

“It was a real reminder of those people who are at the heart of their community, who contribute to their local charities, their local church.”

Topics: Celebrity, UK News, Parenting

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_