Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding makes rare comments about her own love life as she reveals the parallels between her heroine's loss and the grief of losing her late partner

Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding has opened up about her late husband as she confessed that her family cope with grief using dark humour. 

The writer, 66, was in a relationship with The Simpson's writer Kevin Curran before he died in 2016 aged 59 following a long illness.

Helen and Kevin, who share children Dashiell, 20, and Romy, 18, lived together for nine years in Los Angeles before they split in 2009, but Helen remained a strong presence in her ex's life until his death. 

Bridget's experience mirrors Helen's own in the new movie, Mad About The Boy, which is based upon her 2013 book of the same name.

Following Curran's death, Helen revealed that a dark-humoured saying was formed among their family. 

She told The Sunday Times: 'We have a saying in our family: 'don't get too #deathy.'  

'I'm always reluctant to be too personal but the children's father did die and he wrote for The Simpsons, so no joke was too dark to make. 

'That made me see you don't have to sit around feeling sorry for your loss- people still stay the same person when something bad happens.'

She added of her two children, that they 'have gone through quite a lot, so they’re quite emotionally intelligent,' explaining how scenes in the film which show Bridget's children posting homemade cards to Darcy on his birthday are showing them 'processing what has happened to their father all the time with her. It’s not a taboo area'

Helen then confessed that she sees grief like a 'muddy puddle' in that it sends her into a 'dark place' but when you come out of it, you have to enjoy it. 

And Helen's depiction of Bridget losing her husband left fans in tears after they release the initial trailer for the fourth film. 

Renee Zellweger's iconic singleton finally married Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth in the most recent film, 2016's Bridget Jones' Baby.

The couple had shared an on-and-off romance across all three films, but finally got their happy ending after it was revealed the high-flying lawyer was the father of her baby.

However, in the fourth book Mark tragically dies while working abroad as a human rights lawyer, leaving Bridget a widow and battling motherhood alone.

The trailer for the fourth film revealed that the same storyline would play out, with it being confirmed Mark had died before the events of the movie.

And fans who had not read the book prior were left devastated, as they admitted their 'hearts sank' to see the pair didn't get their happily ever after.

They took to social media to write: 'I was not prepared to cry over the death of Mr. Darcy in the new Bridget Jones movie; IS MARK DARCY DEAD???'

'What do you MEAN there is a fourth Bridget Jones movie releasing soon, and they KILLED MR. DARCY?!'

'bridget jones without mark darcy what's the point; MARK DARCY AND BRIDGET JONES BEING SEPARATED ONCE AGAIN I MIGHT SCREAM'.

'I don't want to be in a universe where my beloved Mark Darcy doesnt exist—; Um they finally gave her a happy ending kids just to kill mr. darcy? Why?'

'I hated it when colin died, and everything that came afterwards. But do I wanna watch this? Of course. Am I going to love it? For sure; Not them killing off Colin Firth!!!'

'My heart sank seeing that Mr. Darcy died in the new Bridget Jones trailer. Why couldn't they have their happily ever after?'

'They hate to see my man Mark Darcy alive in the Bridget Jones movie because we all know he would outdiva those people who tries to get his soulmate; 

'took 3 films for bridget and mr darcy to get together just for them to kill him off; You'd better bring back Mr Darcy. I'm so serious. What is this nonsense'.

'Why am I the only one hating the fact that Mark Darcy aka one of the best male characters in romcom history is now DEAD with no rational reason?'

The trailer for upcoming fourth film sees Bridget being encouraged to get back on the horse by her friends after self-imposing a four-year sex ban in the years following Mark's death.

She also quits her job working in television to do the school run, with comical scenes expected as she struggles to keep up with the Yummy Mummies.

During a trip to the park, Bridget finds her two children have got themselves stuck in a tree where she is rescued by two dashing dashing men in the form of The White Lotus star's Leo Woodall and Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor.

She soon finds herself in the middle of a three-way battle for her affections between boytoy Roxster, played by Leo, PE teacher Mr. Wallaker, played by Chiwetel and a returning Hugh Grant as the infamous Daniel Cleaver.

Fans can also rejoice as one particularly sexy scene sees Roxster jump into a pool in front of her to rescue a little dog - in a moment mirroring the iconic Mr Darcy Pride and Prejudice look. 

As the trailer unravels, Bridget's romance with Roxster heats up and the pair have 'mindblowing sex' after a date. 

However Bridget is left confused as flirtatious meetings with Mr Wallaker increase and she eventually stumbles into a barn to find him half-naked. 

Mad About The Boy will be released in UK cinemas on February 13.