Stanley Tucci has revealed that he possesses a photograph of his late wife, Kate, meeting his future spouse, Felicity Blunt, when the two crossed paths at the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada in 2006. The actor, now 65, is set to return for the film's sequel and is currently married to Felicity, 44, who is the sister of co-star Emily Blunt. This union followed the tragic death of his first wife, Jane, from cancer in 2009.
Reflections on First Wife's Illness
In a new interview with Town & Country, Tucci reflected on his first wife's illness, which she battled during the making of the original 2006 film. He recalled, 'I remember she called and she told me she had gone to the doctor and they told her... everything else is a little bit of a blur after that. She was sick while we were making the film and throughout the whole process.'
Reconnection and New Family
Four years after Jane's untimely death at the age of 47, Stanley reconnected with Felicity at Emily's wedding to John Krasinski. They later married and are now parents to son Matteo, 11, and eight-year-old daughter Emilia. Tucci is also father to twins Isabel and Nicolo, 26, and Camilla, 21, from his marriage to Kate.
Personal Cancer Battle
The actor was himself diagnosed with oral cancer in 2017 after doctors discovered a tumour at the base of his tongue. He described the subsequent treatment as 'horrible' and 'psychologically traumatising,' as it brought back memories of his first wife's death. 'I couldn't walk. I couldn't do anything for myself. And Felicity—we had a three-year-old and she was about to give birth. She gave birth in the same hospital that I was being treated in. That was awful for her,' he said.
Felicity's Perspective
Felicity also spoke about her husband's cancer treatment, calling it 'pretty horrific.' At the Bazaar At Work Summit, she candidly shared, 'Stan is the same, he loves food. It's well known that my husband went through cancer treatment, and it was pretty horrific. It was an oral cancer, and he couldn't believe he couldn't even really speak. He had to have a feeding tube. I never really understood how much of our social engagement or our work life is positioned around food and drink. It's amazing how when you genuinely cannot eat, how it leaves you outside of so much. Seeing him recover that, and when he couldn't taste anything, it was genuinely frightening. We've been through quite a journey with eating, Stan and I, and it's what we really love to do together.'
Ongoing Grief
In 2021, Stanley opened up about his ongoing grief following Kathryn's death, admitting the loss continued to haunt him more than a decade later. 'It's still hard after 11 years,' he told CBS Sunday Morning. 'It's still hard. And it will always be hard. But you can't let it...' He said of his late spouse of 14 years, 'She would never want any of us to ever wallow in that grief and let it take over our lives. She would never want that. She wasn't like that.'
He also discussed her passing with NPR, stating, 'I lost my wife 11 years ago to breast cancer. And there's no question that, you know, that also - you know, that's a scary thing to watch, and it's, you know, a sad thing for all of us - devastating.' In a 2010 interview, he said he was 'mostly sad' following her untimely passing. 'There's all the blaming of yourself, which you can't do, but you kind of do. I'm sad for Kate that she can't be here, and I'm sad for my children that they didn't have the opportunity to spend more time with her because she was an extraordinary person.'
Throat Cancer Information
Laryngeal cancer is a type of cancer that affects the larynx (voice box). In the UK, there are about 2,400 new cases of laryngeal cancer each year. The condition is more common in people over the age of 60, and around four times more common in men than women. Main symptoms include a change in voice, pain or difficulty swallowing, a lump or swelling in the neck, a long-lasting cough, a persistent sore throat or earache, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing. Some people may also experience bad breath, breathlessness, a high-pitched wheezing noise when breathing, unexplained weight loss, or fatigue. It is not clear exactly what causes laryngeal cancer, but the risk is increased by smoking tobacco, regularly drinking large amounts of alcohol, a family history of head and neck cancer, an unhealthy diet, or exposure to certain chemicals and substances such as asbestos and coal dust.
