Jane Seymour has emotionally recalled caring for Christopher Reeve after he was paralyzed in a horse riding accident in 1995.

The actress, 73, starred alongside Reeve in the 1980 film Somewhere In Time and previously revealed they fell ‘madly in love’ during filming – although their romance ended as Reeve  learned his ex-girlfriend Gae Exton was pregnant with their son Matthew.

Seymour and Reeve remained close friends until his death aged 52 in 2004 with the star opening up about looking after him when his wife Dana needed a break.

She told People: ‘We were very close, and remained very close, but especially after he had the injury. And Dana and I would do tag team, sometimes: when she couldn’t be there, she’d ask me if I had come and run interference. Chris never lost his sense of humor, ever. Ever. I mean, he was funny. He was so much fun. And I think of anyone in the world was my greatest inspiration, because he took a challenge that is inconceivable to have to live that way.’

Discussing how Reeve, who valued solitude, coped with his new normal, she added: ‘We’d have long conversations about that. He said, “Now, whether I like it or not, I wake up in the morning.’ He said, “Every morning when I wake up, I’ve just come out of a dream in which I’m sailing alone. I’m flying alone. And then I wake up and I hear machines, and then there’s someone there who has to take care of every part of my body.”‘

Seymour said: ‘The hardest thing to do is to accept. And if you can accept, open up your heart, reach out to help someone else, you’ll have a purpose. And that is the secret to happiness. And if you have a purpose, then you can feel really good about yourself. When you feel good about yourself, you are like a magnet. 

Jane Seymour has emotionally recalled caring for Christopher Reeve after he was paralyzed in a horse riding accident in 1995  (Pictured in Los Angeles in April 1997 with Reeve, wife Dana, their son Will and Glenn Close )

The actress, 73, starred alongside Reeve in the 1980 film Somewhere In Time and previously revealed they fell ‘madly in love’ during filming – although their romance ended as Reeve learned his ex-girlfriend Gae Exton was pregnant with their son Matthew – pictured 1980 

‘People want to be part of something good. They do not want to be around people that go, ‘Oh, life’s so terrible. Why me?’ And they’re attracted to people that are going out making a difference. And that was his attraction. That’s what made him a real Superman.’

Seymour spoke about Reeve as she presented the best documentary award to Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at the 2025 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards on Saturday, February 8

‘Chris and I, when we made [Somewhere In Time], we literally fell madly in love,’ she revealed at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival. 

‘When you see this film, you will see the real thing. But we didn’t let anyone know. So a few of the people who worked on the show kind of sussed it out, but we were as subtle as we could be about it.’

After the Superman star was paralyzed in a 1995 horse riding accident, he used his energy to help others suffering from similar conditions. 

‘After his terrible accident, the really tough part for him, apart from being unable to move and unable to breathe alone, was that he could never be alone again,’ the Harry Wilde star revealed. 

Due to the nature of his injuries, the Rear Window actor needed around the clock help. 

‘It took two people 24/7 just to keep him alive. And I think he really didn’t want [his wife] Dana to have to be the caregiver,’ she explained.

She said: ‘Chris never lost his sense of humor, ever. Ever. I mean, he was funny. He was so much fun. And I think of anyone in the world was my greatest inspiration, because he took a challenge that is inconceivable to have to live that way’ 

Reeve died in 2004.  The documentary,  Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is streaming on Max

‘Once he’d processed what had happened to him and Dana told him, “You’re still you,” he decided, “What can I do to help other people in this situation?”‘

‘”Because there are a lot of people,” he said to me, “left behind there in rehabs with families disappeared and wives, husbands disappeared, the insurance company disappeared, and they’re just sitting there wishing life away,”‘ the Glow and Darkness star revealed.

‘He took all his energy and all his intellect and all his visibility to really move the dial and get the stem-cell thing going when nobody wanted to do that. Now it’s normal.’

The Remains of the Day star was implemental in promoting embryonic stem cell research, using relinquished embryos from couples who built their families with the help of In Vitro Fertilization, and established Christopher Reeve Stem Cell Research Fund.

‘He refused to believe that it was impossible for people with spinal injuries to recover, and nobody was spending very much money on spinal injuries,’ the Emmy winner said. 

‘They just gave up on them, and he just said, “No, no. Got do something about it.”‘

Reeve’s wife, Dana, dies of lung cancer in 2006. 

Their son Will, along with his older siblings, are on the board of directors at the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is ‘dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis,’ according to the website.