Comedian and television presenter Josh Widdicombe has announced the death of his nine-month-old kitten, Fluffball. The kitten was killed in a hit-and-run incident on his road in Cornwall, just two weeks after the passing of his 11-year-old cat, Beryl.
Widdicombe shared the news on his podcast, "Parenting Hell," which he co-hosts with Rob Beckett. He described the events as "absolutely f**king awful times" and expressed his difficulty in coping with the losses.
"We are down to one cat," Widdicombe stated on the podcast. "Fluffball got hit by a car on our road when we were in Cornwall. She was found by my neighbour. Grim. Two weeks after Beryl died."
He recounted how his neighbor found Fluffball and mentioned the support he received from Moorview Pet Cremation.
Last month, Widdicombe announced Beryl's death on Instagram. He shared a heartfelt tribute, expressing his deep affection for the cat. "Our beautiful cat Beryl passed away last week, absolutely heartbroken," he wrote. "When we got her and Eddie 11 years ago I was a huge cat sceptic, now she has created a life long problem for me, I get far too emotionally attached to them and would happily have 10 (Rose won’t let me).... Beryl was an affectionate, chilled and beautiful matriarch. A cat that would somehow always know if you were down and come to see you to make you feel better."
He admitted to initially considering not posting about Beryl's death due to a feeling that "social media mourning is weird," but decided to share the news to preempt repeated questions about his well-being.
Amidst his personal grief, Widdicombe has also been preparing for his new role as a presenter on "Strictly Come Dancing." He, along with Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, will be co-hosting the upcoming series. The trio has spoken about the evolving format of the show, describing it as "very open" and a "wild card" choice by producers. Widdicombe compared their approach to "total football," suggesting a dynamic and flexible presenting style.