‘Love Actually' 'EastEnders' star Jo Bacon breathes her last at 72

Jo Bacon just passed away at the age of 72.

The iconic star was famed for her role in Love Actually where she starred alongside Hugh Grant, portraying Natalie's mother in the 2003 Christmas classic.

In the famous scene, Natalie, played by Martine McCutcheon, came down the stairs to meet the Prime Minister - her love interest played by Grant - as her family stand at the door in awe.

Bacon was very popular in TV, theatre, film and ballet making appearances in EastEnders, Casualty, The Bill, Pie in the Sky, Little Britain, A Touch of Frost and New Tricks.

She has also starred alongside Martin Freeman as his on-screen mother, Jackie in Breeders. The actor paid tribute to her with a lengthy tribute.

“Jo's talent as an actor was a gift that she shared with the world. On stage and on screen, she brought us joy, laughter, and inspiration, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of everyone she reached,” he wrote.

“She was a woman of many talents and facets, and I would like to share with you a description of Jo, given by Gill, one of her lifelong friends: 'Jo's life was a wonderful, elaborate, kaleidoscope with different sections for each of her passions and only Jo was at the centre and could see and enjoy the whole kaleidoscope. In many ways Jo was a contradiction - a flamboyant extrovert, a superb wit, a natural communicator and yet, at the same time, an introspective loner,'” Freeman further wrote.

In a statement, that would now shift perspective, Jo Bacon herself said, following her cancer diagnosis at the start of 2025, “I have had a brilliant life. I have been so lucky to do the things I have done and to have met the wonderful people I have met. I have no regrets.”