Rachael Stirling has revealed that she paid £3,000 (almost $4,000) to recover 71 love letters written by her late mother, Dame Diana Rigg, after an unnamed individual threatened to put them up for public auction. The actress said she felt pressured into buying the letters, which Rigg had written to television director Philip Saville during their relationship in the 1960s. Stirling described the experience as 'a bit mean' and explained that the money amounted to half her fee for a theatre production.
Stirling shared the account while discussing her memoir, All About My Mother, which explores the life and career of the acclaimed actress and the relationship between mother and daughter. The letters also provided Stirling with a more personal insight into her mother's romantic life.
Stirling Recovers Her Mother's Letters
Stirling recalled being approached by a man while performing in Private Lives at London's Donmar Warehouse in 2023, three years after her mother's death. According to Stirling, the man told her that he had come across 71 letters written by Rigg and asked what she wanted him to do with them.
Stirling said she wanted the letters returned to her. However, she eventually paid £3,000 to obtain them after being told they would otherwise be sold at auction. 'I ended up having to pay this person £3,000 – which was half my whole fee for doing this show at the Donmar – to buy my mother's love letters back,' she recalled.
She said she had not known what the letters contained when she agreed to pay for them. The threat of a public auction was the deciding factor in her decision to purchase the collection. 'He was basically threatening that they were going to go to auction unless I coughed up,' Stirling said.
The actress described the situation as unfair, particularly because the letters concerned her mother's private correspondence. Nevertheless, she paid the money to bring them home rather than risk their public sale.
Letters Reveal Rigg's Romance With Saville
The letters were written to Philip Saville, a television director known for his work on productions including Boys from the Blackstuff and The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. Rigg and Saville had a relationship that lasted several years, beginning in the 1960s when the actress was in her twenties. Saville was married during their relationship, which became an important part of Rigg's personal history.
Rigg had previously described Saville as the first love of her life. Through the letters, Stirling discovered a deeply emotional side of her mother during a period when Rigg was establishing herself as an actress.
After bringing the collection home, Stirling read the letters in bed and stayed awake until around 3am. She recalled being struck by the intensity of her mother's feelings for Saville, describing Rigg as passionately in love with the director.
The correspondence also offered a glimpse into their life together, including their connection to a house on the Spanish island of Ibiza. Stirling said the letters showed how deeply Rigg cared for Saville, despite the difficulties in their relationship. The documents went beyond revealing details of a past romance. They allowed her to encounter her mother at a particular point in her life through Rigg's own words.
Rachael Stirling Says Letters Brought Her Mother to Life
Stirling has spoken about the emotional experience of researching her mother's life and reading the correspondence. Although Rigg was widely recognised for her acting career and strong screen presence, the letters revealed an intimate side of the woman behind those public achievements.
Stirling described the writing as a vivid portrayal of her mother, capturing her personality and emotions during a period when she was successful professionally and deeply involved in her relationship with Saville. She said reading the letters made her feel as though her mother was present in the room with her.
That experience became part of the research for All About My Mother, a book that combines memoir and biography to explore Rigg's life beyond her best-known roles. Rather than focusing exclusively on the actress' professional achievements, Stirling's book also examines her mother's personal experiences, relationships and character. The letters gave her access to Rigg's private thoughts at a time when she was still developing her identity and navigating a complicated romance.
