James Murray has spoken out about how the charity he set up with his wife Sarah Parish has helped him to "find a purpose" in life after the death of their baby daughter, Ella Jayne, almost 10 years ago.
The former Coronation Street actor, who is currently starring in the BBC series Age Before Beauty, welcomed his first child with actress Parish in 2008. The couple tragically lost Ella Jayne to a congenital heart defect when she was eight months old.
During an interview on This Morning, Murray discussed the fundraising milestone that The Murray Parish Trust – the charity he co-founded with Parish – has recently reached and how it has helped him cope with his heartbreak.
"We set up The Murray Parish Trust in honour of our late daughter, Ella Jane, to build a brand new paediatric emergency department down in Southampton, which will cater for the whole of the South of England," Murray told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.
"We're thrilled to say we had to raise five million and we're over half way," he continued. "The building started this spring and should be open next spring. The doors will be open for service as of next year."
When Holmes asked if the Trust helps to give Murray a "purpose in life", he replied: "Absolutely. It puts what I do as a day job... running the Trust, and raising funds for this much-needed facility, puts everything into a distant second."
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The Trust is fundraising for a new Children's Emergency & Trauma Department at Southampton University Hospital, which will deliver life-saving and acute specialist care for critically ill children from across nine different regions.
Murray and Parish are parents to Nell, who was born in 2009.
Sands supports anyone affected by the death of a baby. You can contact the Sands National Helpline on 0808 164 3332, or email helpline@sands.org.uk.
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