Downton Abbey's David Robb tells of heartache over death of his wife, High Road star Briony McRoberts

DAILY RECORD
Jun 08, 2014 13:42 By Craig McDonald



THE husband of High Road actress Briony McRoberts has told how his wife was “murdered by anorexia”.

Briony tragically jumped to her death under a train last year at the age of 56.

Speaking for the first time about his loss, husband David Robb said: “She had a future. She hadn’t  written, ‘Today’s the day’. She was murdered by anorexia.

“It isn’t a self-centred teenage disease. It kills people – including middle-aged women.

“It is a silent killer. Not a quirk of diet but a mental illness and if it gets its hooks in, it can suffocate.”

Downtown Abbey actor David, 66, told how his wife had likened her anorexia to being strangled by a boa constrictor.

He said: “She told me it felt like being squeezed all the time.”

Briony left home on July 17 last year with just her wedding ring and a travel card before she jumped in front of a train on the London underground near their home.

A former child star, she went on to play superbitch Sam Hagen in High Road. She was just three weeks away from beginning treatment for her eating disorder when she died.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/downton-abbeys-david-robb-tells-3661969

DOWNTON ABBEY STARS TAKE OVER THE SAG AWARDS

CELEBRITY RED CARPET
January 20, 3014


Sophie McShera, Cara Theobold, Laura Carmichael, Lesley Nicol, Michelle Dockery and Phyllis Logan attend the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on 18 January 2014 in Los Angeles.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards took place on 18 January in Los Angeles and we couldn't help but notice that Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael and a whole host of other Downton Abbey stars were in attendance. They scrubbed up pretty well for the red carpet and, between them, they managed to pull off a fair few trends. Let's take a look...

Colour pops

Colour is a huge trend for 2014 and the Downton crew weren't shy to try it out.
Lesley Nicol went for a chic emerald green coat in satin whilst Phyllis Logan opted for a deep purple dress. If you don't feel like going all out with a colourful dress like Phyllis then wearing a bright coat is an excellent way to rock the trend.

Side-swept sisters

Michelle Dockery and Sophie McShera were both rocking very on-trend side-swept hairstyles. Sophie styled her long bob into a straight and sleek style with a side parting, slicking the hair under at the ends to add extra finish.

LESLEY NICOL, KEVIN DOYLE, PHYLLIS LOGAN AND DAVID ROBB

READ MORE HERE:http://www.celebrityredcarpet.co.uk/article/downton-abbey-stars-take-over-the-sag
-awards_a5195/1

Wife of Downton Abbey actor David Robb is killed - Take the High Road star Briony McRoberts dies in rail plunge on London Underground

Daily Record

By Sally Hind

20 Jul 2013 08:37

TAKE the High Road star Briony McRoberts has been killed by a Tube train in London.

Police were called to Fulham Broadway station, near Briony’s home, and found the body of the much-loved and respected actress on the tracks.

Briony was 56. Her death is not being treated as suspicious.

A friend of Briony’s husband, Downton Abbey actor David Robb, said: “He is beside himself with grief. He has lost the love of his life.”

The tragedy was reported to police at 8.35am. Officers from the Met and British Transport Police went to the scene 

to find the line already closed.

The driver of the train will be offered counselling.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/take-high-road-star-briony-2068565

'Downton Abbey' Star Allen Leech On Lady Sybil's Death, The Christmas Special And Series 4 Posted: 24/12/2012 09:04 GMT | Updated: 24/12/2012 09:04 GMT (HUFFINGTON POST)

"Nothing is really as it seems," says 'Downton Abbey's' Allen Leech.

By the look of the show's Christmas special trailer, his character Tom Branson is about to embark on a love affair with the new maid Edna, after he's seen smooching her with his top off.

But the Irish actor is unaware that the scene is in the preview, and adds: "It would explain all those vicious tweets I've been getting recently."

After first appearing in the hit ITV period-drama as a chauffeur, Leech's outspoken character Branson has risen up the social ranks after marrying Lord Grantham's daughter Sybil, earning a legion of fans along the way.

Unfortunately, they weren't all so happy with how his character reacted when his beautiful wife died during labour...


"The abuse I got on Twitter after episode five was crazy, people care about the character so much... they asked 'Branson, why didn't you do more to save her?'

"I'm actually just an actor. I find it very dear that people care so much about her."

Sybil's death was one of the saddest scenes on TV this year. The baby - which promised to unite the fractured family once again - was on its way, but complications over the birth ignited a clash between old - the traditional administrations of purse-lipped surgeon Sir Philip (Tim Piggott-Smith) - and the new-fangled ways of Doctor Clarkson (David Robb).


READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/12/18/downton-abbey-star-allen-leech_n_2321259.html

WHY DOWNTON’S DOCTOR CLAIMS LAURA HAS SUFFERED A RAW DEAL (EXPRESS CO.UK)

By Sharon Feinstein

Actor David Robb is no less forthright in real life, claiming in an exclusive interview with the Daily Express that Laura Carmichael (who plays Lady Edith) has been given a raw deal by the hugely popular show’s makers.

He also offers a teaser that the doctor may be about to embark on a relationship with Matthew Crawley’s mother Isobel.

Laura, whose character was jilted at the altar, is underrated and every bit as attractive as her screen sisters Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil), he says.

Robb adds: “Laura, who plays the middle sister, is very underappreciated because she is not a plain Jane by any means. In fact she’s quite gorgeous.

“She’s meant to be a plain Jane because you can’t have three gorgeous girls so the middle one has got to be the one who doesn’t get the blokes. Well Laura might not be as classically striking as the other two but she’s extremely attractive.”

And while the real upstairs, downstairs worlds would never socialise, at Downton Abbey, behind the scenes, the story is different.

Giving away some fascinating insights, Robb, 65, says Maggie Smith (Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess) does crosswords with Jim Carter (head butler Carson), while Phyllis Logan (Mrs Hughes),  with whom he has had a 30 year friendship, and Michelle greet everyone with huge hugs.

READ MORE: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/352332/Why-Downton-s-doctor-claims-Laura-has-suffered-a-raw-deal

Downton Baggy! Old pants a flop for show chaps THE SUN

Exclusive

By COLIN ROBERTSON, TV Editor

Published: 27th August 2012

David Robb, who plays Dr Clarkson, revealed: “The bosses reckoned viewers might be able to see our Calvin Kleins, so we had to wear these big pants.

“But they don’t really contain a chap — you just flop and dangle around all over the place — and the boys’ jokes were flying, as you can imagine.

“I don’t think the viewers will really be able to see anything but I’m not sure.”

The match — featuring the house playing the village — takes place in the final episode of the ITV1 new series.

David, 65, said: “The cricket match was hilarious. We didn’t really know what we were doing, but had great fun.”

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4506405/Downton-Abbeys-male-stars-were-left-flopping-dangling-all-over-the-place.html

'Downton Abbey' male stars 'left flopping around by underpants' Published Monday, Aug 27 2012, 5:38am EDT | By Tom Eames (DIGITAL SPY)

Downton Abbey male stars have joked that their period underpants were difficult to wear.

They were reportedly banned from wearing modern underwear during a filmed cricket match in case they showed through on screen.


Stars including Dan Stevens and Hugh Bonneville struggled to remain focused during filming while wearing the baggy garments, leading to several rude jokes.

David Robb - who plays Dr Clarkson on the period drama - told The Sun: "The bosses reckoned viewers might be able to see our Calvin Kleins, so we had to wear these big pants.

"But they don't really contain a chap - you just flop and dangle around all over the place - and the boys' jokes were flying, as you can imagine.

"I don't think the viewers will really be able to see anything but I'm not sure."

READ MORE: http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/s183/downton-abbey/news/a401957/downton-abbey-male-stars-left-flopping-around-by-underpants.html