Esther Freud: How close have you come to death?

How close have you come to death?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A recurring Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Esther Freud said elsewhere, not written here

My parents died within four days of each other. I was engulfed as I ran from one bedside to another.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 July 2026 source ↗

Others on this question

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Lesley Sharp British actress

I got run over when I was three. I ran across a road in Manchester and was hit by a car. I only had concussion, but I could have died.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 May 2021 source ↗

John Waters American filmmaker

Just thinking about unsafe sex.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 September 2008 source ↗

Scott Mills English radio DJ and television presenter

I went on a private jet with David Hasselhoff, and it was so turbulent between LA and Vegas I thought it was going down. I also thought: “The headline won’t be about me; it will be: David Hasselhoff and friend.”

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 October 2022 source ↗

Justin Hawkins

A flight from Paraguay to South Africa that went badly wrong. The plane nearly fell out of the sky and the oxygen masks dropped. People were screaming but the pilot saved the day, and then apparently never flew again.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 March 2025 source ↗