Charlotte Dawson says Father’s Day still brings back the loss she has lived with almost her entire life.
The reality TV personality is the daughter of late British comedian Les Dawson, who died in 1993 when Charlotte was eight months old. In a new interview with OK! Magazine, she said the holiday is emotional because she grew up without the chance to know him directly.
“It’s really emotional and I wish he was here,” Charlotte told the magazine. “On Father’s Day, it really does hit home.”
Charlotte, 33, now shares three children with fiancé Matthew Sarsfield: Noah, Jude and Gigi. She said she wants them to know who their grandfather was, even though Les died decades before they were born.
Charlotte Dawson Said She Knew Her Dad Through Photos and Videos
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Les Dawson was one of Britain’s best-known comedians, remembered for his deadpan delivery, deliberately off-key piano routines, mother-in-law jokes and TV work including Blankety Blank. Legends Management describes him as a comedian, writer, musician, game-show host and actor closely associated with deadpan comedy.
Charlotte was too young to build memories of her own with him. She told OK! that one of the hardest parts of growing up without her father was “not knowing him fully,” because she had to understand him through the material and memories he left behind.
“I had to get to know him through pictures and videos,” she said. “I’m very lucky, because some people don’t have that. There’s this massive legacy that I’ve got as well, but to be honest, I’d prefer to drop all that and have him back.”
Her Mother Tracy Kept Les Dawson’s Memory Alive
Charlotte credited her mother, Tracy Dawson, with keeping Les present in the family after his death. She called Tracy “my icon, my hero, my best friend” and said her mother did “an amazing job” making sure she grew up knowing who her father was.
Tracy also told OK! that she sees Les in Charlotte’s personality. She said Charlotte reminds her of him through her mannerisms, her humor and the way she refuses to take life too seriously.
That family connection now extends to Charlotte’s children. She said Noah, Jude and Gigi know about Les, and that when the children see a butterfly, they say, “It’s Grandad.” Charlotte also keeps a cardboard cut-out of Les at home and said Gigi puts her hand on it.
Charlotte Wants Her Children to Know Their Grandfather
Charlotte said watching clips of Les still makes her laugh, and she described him as a “warm, loving man” her children can call their grandfather. OK! noted that she has built a public following with the same kind of self-mocking humor, sharing unfiltered posts about motherhood, body image and family life.
Charlotte has said she wants to return to television and get back on stage, naming Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! as shows she would love to do. She also told OK! she would like to try stand-up comedy, a career move that would connect directly to the stage work that made her father famous.
Les Dawson Became a British Comedy Fixture
British Comedy Guide notes that Dawson found fame after appearing on Opportunity Knocks in 1967 and went on to become a major name in British comedy through sketch shows, stand-up, sitcom work and game-show hosting.