Even in the midst of grief and despair chinks of light can be found

Living in the time of Covid has made life feel very fragile.We have gotten used to things, it’s true, but there’s a low-level anxiety which hums through the fabric of our everyday; an uncomfortable background noise we can’t switch off.

Only time will tell how the last year in lockdown has affected us mentally but this week’s cover star Shobna Gulati is testament that the human spirit can endure.The actress was still reeling from the death of her mother, who she had nursed till the end, when she contracted Covid last March.

I can only imagine how terrifying that must have been, especially in those raw early days of the pandemic. But Shobna tells us that facing her own mortality became a galvanising force. Believing her days were numbered, she began writing a memoir about her mum’s life, and her own journey as a mother and actress.The result is a wonderful book, Remember Me? Discovering My Mother As She Lost Her Memory.

One of the things that really strikes me reading Shobna’s interview (on pages 6&7) is the positive way she looks at the time she spent with her mum in her final days. She says:“As my mum’s dementia developed, she became clearer in the woman she was. It was almost like she removed the mum coat and I saw the woman.”

She shows us that even in the midst of grief and sadness, we can find chinks of light to lead us out of the darkness.

Shobna is appearing on BBC show Celebrity Best Home Cook and she is busy filming a comedy drama. It just goes to show what a difference a year makes.