Kate Beckinsale has revealed that she’s been hospitalised while sharing a sweet tribute to her mother on Mother’s Day.
On 11 March, the 50-year-old actor shared an Instagram photo of herself in a hospital bed. In the caption, she paid tribute to her mother Judy Loe in honour of Mother’s Day, which falls on 10 March in the United Kingdom, and thanked her for her support.
Beckinsale’s post began started with a video of Loe popping open a bottle of champagne for her birthday, followed by selfies of the actor’s mother. She included two pictures of herself in a hospital bed, as she wore a large black headband with a bow on her head. The post also featured a snap of Beckinsale’s friend visiting her at the hospital.
In the caption, the Underworld star wished her mother a happy birthday and Mother’s Day, before describing how Loe has supported her throughout the last week. While Beckinsale went on to praise all the ones who’ve been supporting her while she’s been “sick,” she didn’t specify why she was hospitalised.
“Thank you to those that love us and support us when it’s s*** and try to make sure there are some bits that aren’t,” she wrote. “And for looking after our dogs when we can’t, and lead us to remember happy things when we can’t. And turn up when we are sick and sit with us… And send balloons and check in and pull us out of wells with love.”
After she noted that her “mother’s capacity for joy” was “so inspiring and beautiful,” she concluded her caption by once again celebrating Loe.
“Happy everything mama,” she wrote. “Your fight for joy despite also welcoming tears is the experience of watching a warrior up close. I love you.”
In the comments, many fans sent messages of support to Beckinsale and questioned why she was hospitalised. They also applauded her tribute to her mother.
“Are you OK? Why are you in a hospital? Please get well soon,” one wrote, while another commented: “Hope you’re OK! Happy mom’s day!”
“Such a sweet post for your mama. I pray for your recovery, whatever it is you may be going through Kate,” a third added.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Beckinsale for comment.
Over the years, Beckinsale hasn’t hesitated to speak candidly about her physical health. In 2019, she revealed she was in the hospital after suffering a ruptured ovarian cyst. At the time, she shared a photo of herself from her hospital bed on Instagram, with a breathing tube in her nose. A second picture showed her lying in the hospital bed.
“Turns out a ruptured ovarian cyst really hurts and morphine makes me cry. So thankful to everyone who looked after me #wobbly,” she wrote in the caption.
According to the Mayo Clinic, ovarian cysts “are sacs, usually filled with fluid, in an ovary or on its surface”. While cysts are often harmless, that’s not the case when it ruptures, as that can “cause severe pain and bleeding inside the pelvis”.
In the comments at the time, Beckinsale also hit back at someone who criticised her taking a selfie in the hospital. After noting that her mother took the photo of her in the hospital, she then specified why she shared the post in the first place about her ruptured ovary.
“In fact I would not have posted it if we had not noticed someone in a car taking a photo of me leaving the hospital in a wheelchair,” she wrote in the comments at the time, as reported by CNN. “I have Instagram largely to have my own honest narrative and not have to always be ambushed by stories that come out that are invented. I’d prefer to say what happened than endure speculation and so I chose to share.”
After acknowledging that it’s not a “normal impulse” for her to share such a personal picture of herself, she hit back at how the press initially photographed her outside of the hospital.
“But it’s not normal to be photographed in vulnerable situations by people you don’t know either (if you were interested in knowing the provenance of this, which, you probably are not),” she wrote.
She concluded her comment at the time by praising her fans for their support, writing: “Thank you so much to everyone who has wished me well and lots of love to all the girls here who have been through similar or worse. Love to all.”