Many fans were quick to make assumptions, with one writing: “I’m so, so sorry. Roy was such a beautiful soul who I had the absolute pleasure of meeting and chatting with. It truly was a privilege to meet such a great man. Sending all my love to you all”.
Another wrote: “My sincerest condolences to you and your family, Kate. My heart breaks for you at this time,” with a third adding: “There truly are no words that can take the pain away.”
Beckinsale, 50, went straight to the hospital after the Golden Globes on Monday, with no time to change out of her sparkly silver Atelier Zuhra gown.
Sharing a photo to her social media account, she could be seen sitting at the bedside of someone who was assumed to be Battersby, eating while she chatted with family members.
It comes after her social media plea last month for followers to pray for her stepfather as his health was declining.
“We need a miracle,” she wrote, adding: “This week has taken an even scarier turn involving the health of my beloved stepdad, Roy, and we need every tiny scrap of love and magic in the hope he pulls through.”
She continued to say she would be “so grateful” if her fans “would be kind enough to send healing energy his way”, adding: “I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try every single thing and then would wonder for the rest of my life if that would have helped.”
Beckinsale’s father, Porridge star Richard Beckinsale, died in March 1979 from a heart attack. Her mother, Judy Lowe, married Battersby in 1997.
