Anyone who had the great privilege of knowing Joan Washington, the talented and quick-witted dialect coach, will testify what a wonderful and kind person she was.

Before she died, Joan set her husband, actor Richard E. Grant, a challenge: to find a pocketful of happiness every day. In his memoirs, he reminisces on his early days in his profession, arriving in London in the 1980s, before returning to the near-present – the tragic time when Joan first becomes unwell.

The book sensitively and emotionally describes the turmoil of losing a loved one. Richard and Joan’s marriage was a very happy one. He says:

‘A journalist once asked me what the secret was for managing to stay together for almost four decades, especially in show business (which would make us golden wedding anniversary veterans by that standard), and my reply was immediate and simple. We began a conversation in 1983 and we never stopped talking, or sleeping together in the same bed.’

Richard speaks of the support he received when he shared the news of Joan’s diagnosis with friends, and then after Joan died, the outpouring of kind messages on social media. It swings back and forth from the happy past – auditions, castings, and stories from on-set film locations, to the difficult near-present – Joan’s illness, hospital appointments, scans, and treatment.

The book is so moving, and bravely personal. It is a beautiful tribute to Richard’s true loves: Joan, their daughter Olivia, and acting.

A Pocketful of Happiness was published by Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster, in September.