Sir Ed Davey has opened up about the ‘lonely experience’ he endured as a youngster after his father died when he was four and his mother was later diagnosed with incurable cancer, leaving him orphaned by the time he reached 15.
The Liberal Democrat leader, 58, is perhaps better known for his wild publicity-attracting stunts, which have ranged from paddle boarding and swing dancing to tractor racing and even bungee jumping.
But away from the political limelight, few know of Davey’s heart-rending background that includes him – while still just a young teenager – tenderly nursing his mother for three years until she died from secondary bone cancer.
Nor do they know much about the MP for Kingston and Surbiton risking his life to save a stranger from being struck by a train some 30 years ago.
Davey, who was born on Christmas Day, still recalls the pain of having lost his father, John, to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1970.
Then, just after he turned 12, his mother Nina was diagnosed with cancer.
In a candid interview with The Telegraph he recalls: ‘We had help from neighbours and a few family friends, but for me, as a young carer, I felt slightly isolated at school – I was at school thinking about my mum, while everyone else was thinking about what was in the charts or on TV.
‘So it can be quite a lonely experience.’
Sir Ed Davey, 58, is known for his wild publicity-attracting stunts, which include riding the rollercoaster at Thorpe Park – but few know of his heart-rending background
The Liberal Democrat leader has opened up about being orphaned by the age of 15, having cared for his terminally-ill mother for three years. He is pictured with his daughter, Ellie, and son John, who has an undiagnosed condition
He remembers having to give up playing rugby to avoid the risk of being injured and therefore not being able to help his mother – or pick up the many chores around the house.
‘I was administering morphine, putting electric pads on her so she could give herself shocks to take away the pain… Making food… It was a crazy time,’ he adds.
When his mother eventually died, it was his headmaster at Nottingham High School that uttered the word ‘orphan’ to him – a label he recalled not having ‘identified’ with until that moment.
Despite his loss, Davey still had his grandparents, with whom he was incredibly close.
He moved in with them, eventually securing a place at Oxford studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
Speaking about that time in his life in 2022 on Loose Women, Davey explained: ‘Previously I had worked to make my mum happy and I went through this rubicon where I thought ‘I’m doing this for me now.
‘It was like a lightbulb, it made me focus on what I wanted to do in life… there was that moment and I think it does focus young minds.’
The experience left an indelible impression on Davey, who revealed he empathises hugely with young carers – so much so that he recently teamed up with Bath Philharmonia’s Young Carers’ Choir to release a charity single to raise greater awareness.
Davey, with his wife Emily Gasson, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012
Their song, Love Is Enough, is in the running to become a Christmas number one.
He said he was sure the song would ‘strike a chord’ with carers and their families.
In a press interview after the single’s launch, he said: ‘When I sang In The Bleak Mid-Winter in my local church in 1978, neither I nor my brothers nor my mum fully appreciated how much our lives were all about to change.
‘For mum’s cancer was getting worse and I was becoming a young carer. The next two-and-a-half years before my mother eventually died were extremely tough, but they were also full of love.
‘When I heard the opening lyrics to Love Is Enough – ‘Every second we have left is worth a thousand others’ – they struck home and meant so much.’
Davey’s caring and selfless side has come to the fore in other moments in his life.
Thirty years ago, he could have died trying to save a woman who had fallen onto the tracks at Clapham Junction.
It was around 1994, when he was waiting for a train after work and witnessed a couple having an argument.
Davey recently teamed up with Bath Philharmonia’s Young Carers’ Choir to release a charity single and raise greater awareness of young carers
While the man eventually made his way onto a train, the woman fell onto the rails and injured herself.
Davey looked around and saw people reacting, but doing little else.
He told The Telegraph: ‘So I took my coat and bag off, got down onto the track, checked she was still breathing, picked her up to put her back on the platform, but then I saw the lights of a train coming.’
With just seconds to spare, Davey picked up the woman and ran across the live rails to the opposite platform, before clambering to safety.
His actions earned him a Royal Humane Society bravery award in 1994 and a commendation by the British Transport Police.
Davey’s caring side is equally evident in the way he supports his wife, Emily, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012, and helps care for their disabled son, John, 17 at the family home inSurbiton.
The teenager’s condition, still undiagnosed, has rendered him unable to walk, with limited speech and learning disabilities.
When asked previously about John’s diagnosis, Davey explained: ‘We genuinely don’t know….we felt when he was about four months and he wasn’t developing well.
Davey has revealed that 30 years ago he saved a woman who had fallen onto the tracks at Clapham Junction
‘We got to about nine months and we thought “Something is wrong here”. He wasn’t really sitting or engaging.
‘They initially diagnosed him with cerebral palsy, but it wasn’t cerebral palsy as it then transpired and Great Ormond Street Hospital were fantastic.’
The Daveys also have a daughter, Ellie, who is 10.
His experience as a carer drives much of his politics and he often campaigns for increased NHS investment and further government help for carers.
‘I think caring roles should be valued far more’, he said. ‘Because I think they’re quite tough actually.
‘There’s the emotional impact and actually caring is tough work, all hours and it’s not glamorous.’