Tina Malone has said she "relishes the thought of dying" and "can't wait" to be reunited with her husband Paul Chase, 18 months after the former army veteran took his own life.
The 62-year-old actress made the remarks on the Suddenly Single podcast during an interview with Best magazine editor Siobhan Wykes, saying that she would not be alive now if it were not for her youngest child, Flame. Malone said she welcomes death because it will bring her back together with Paul and that she has no intention of dating again.
"I relish the thought of dying, which I know that sounds kind of crazy," Malone said. "If I didn't have Flame, I wouldn't be here now." She added, "I welcome the day because I will be with him again. And that's all I live for." Speaking about her plans for the future, she said, "I will never date again. I've had enough good sex in my life to last me a lifetime... The best and the penultimate being with my darling Paul."
Malone has publicly said that Paul Chase, who was 41 when he died in March 2024, struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder related to his military service. He served in the 22nd Regiment of the Cheshires and saw duty in Northern Ireland, Belize, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Falklands. Malone has said she and Paul met after her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, when he worked as a personal trainer.
She told the podcast and in prior interviews that she first saw Chase's final messages hours after they were sent because she was using an older phone. Police arrived at her Liverpool home to inform her of his death just as the messages were delivered. Malone described the texts, sent at about 4 a.m. on the night he died, which included apologies and a promise that they would "meet again." In one message quoted by Malone, he wrote: "Tina, please forgive me and one day when you are up here with me we will meet again. Xxx I love you Tina, I will visit you when I find a way. I am sorry my love, you made my life perfect, throughout the chaos. Xxx I will come and visit you and Flame in spirit. Please forgive me xxx."
Malone has spoken previously about her decision to be transparent about the circumstances of Chase's death and to use her platform to encourage conversations about support for veterans. She has said that when Chase drank he would talk about his army experiences and that she had urged him to seek help, but that he resisted the diagnosis because he feared it would affect his ability to find work.
The couple faced difficulties before his death. Malone said they encountered financial problems and personal turmoil after incidents in 2017, when she was arrested and cautioned for cocaine possession and lost a pantomime role, and Chase lost a job caring for teenagers. Malone has described how Chase's mental health deteriorated amid prescription drug and cocaine use, hospital admissions and mood swings; he received help from a veterans charity and was admitted to psychiatric care, she said.
Malone and Chase married in 2010. He was 19 years younger than Malone, and the couple reunited after a brief separation in 2019, resuming their relationship in early 2020. Malone is mother to a daughter, Danielle, from a previous relationship, and to Flame, whom she has said is central to her decision to carry on.
In the podcast interview, Malone framed her public comments as part of a desire for openness about suicide and bereavement. She said she had not previously confirmed publicly that Chase took his own life and that she now wanted to be transparent about the cause of his death. Malone's comments were accompanied by reflections on grief and the responsibilities she feels toward her child.
Her disclosures come amid wider public discussion about veteran mental health and access to support services. Veterans' charities and mental health advocates have long highlighted the prevalence of PTSD among ex-service personnel and the importance of timely intervention, but Malone's account describes the persistent barriers families and veterans face when seeking help.
Malone's interview adds to a series of public reflections by celebrities and families about bereavement and suicide in recent years, with advocates urging greater awareness, timely care and destigmatization of mental health struggles among veterans and others affected by trauma.