Bridget Jones Author Helen Fielding Reveals How She Broke *That* News To Colin Firth

Most of you will probably have heard (or read) by now the shocking news about Mark Darcy in Helen Fielding's new novel. But how did Colin Firth react?

Bridget Jones fans were left devastated when Helen Fielding revealed that big Mark Darcy news earlier this month. In an extract from her new novel, Mad About The Boy, the author revealed that 51-year-old character is now single mum after Mark Darcy died. Sob. In an interview with TIME magazine, Helen has now explained how she broke the news to Colin Firth, who played Mark in the two hit film adaptations.

The author gave Colin call to warn him that she would be killing off his much-loved character (seriously, WHY?).

She said: 'I wanted to tell him in person and we were trying to arrange lunch but he was in a different place.

'So I ended up telling Colin over the phone that the character had died. I had to ask if he had someone with him and if he was sitting down. It was like someone actually had died. We had to process it. And I was almost saying, "I’m so sorry for your loss".'

She added that Mark couldn't survive to see another happy ending, and that was 'absolutely inherent from the start'.

What we DO know, is that it's not all doom and gloom in the third book. Helen adds: 'His presence is very much there in the book and in the child. As I told him, his memory will live on and he will rise from the dead rather like Jesus.'

Richard Curtis, who produced both Bridget Jones movies, revealed that he had no idea Helen was plannign to kill off Mark Darcy. He said: 'My daughter, who is Helen’s godchild, knew about it but I found out on Sunday with everyone else.'

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