Can You Work Now Prunella
Prunella: Yes, but I have to start learning my lines a lot earlier. It takes me a lot longer to remember things than it did when I was 40. But it is not uncommon at the age of 82 to have memory problems.
Timothy: I think perhaps Pru is being a bit over-optimistic about this. However there is no reason why she shouldnt still do radio, recitals or voice-overs.
Prunella: In our business, actors like to think they can carry on until they drop. Id like to die on the eighth curtain call.
Eastenders Star’s Beautiful 57
The famous couple tied the knot in 1963 and are due to celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary in October
Staying married for nearly 60 years is no easy feat, with many of us only dreaming to have a long-lasting partnership like that.
But for one EastEnders star and his actress wife, the past 57 years have only brought them closer.
Timothy West is known for his role as Sean Carter on EastEnders, Eric Babbage in Coronation Street and Ted in Last Tango in Halifax, among others.
But it’s his marriage to Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales that melted viewers’ hearts as they watched their loving relationship on screen in series Great Canal Journeys.
Together they travelled the UK’s most beautiful sites on water, and their strong bond was clear.
Prunella, now 88, played Sybil on the iconic British comedy.
She married Timothy, 87 in 1963 and the pair love spending time at their rambling Victorian home in Wandsworth.
But that’s not to say the pair haven’t faced their struggles.
To the heartbreak of viewers, Prunella has retired from television after 50 years in the business due to her ongoing battle with dementia.
In March 2020, Timothy revealed that Prunella suffered with the disease for 20 years.
The Express reported he said: Its been incredibly tough over the past 20 years to see the gradual disappearance of the person that I love. But we still enjoy life together and I cant compare it with anything else at the moment.
Prunella Scales Brave Battle With Dementia
The actress we all know and love as Sybil Fawlty from Fawlty Towers, Prunella Scales, is suffering from a slow-moving form of dementia, and her husband, fellow veteran actor Timothy West has spoken openly about the heartbreak he feels, along with the brave way Ms Scales is battling the disease.
Mr West appeared on Piers Morgans Life Stories TV show spoke about how much he still loves his wife, and the things he finds hardest about her condition.
Mr West said, The sad thing is, you just watch the gradual disappearance of the person you knew and loved and were very close to.
A lot of her has left, but we still enjoy life and theres still a lot Pru is able to enjoy and we are able to do together.
Ms Scales, 83, has been open about the fact she suffers from a form of dementia for a number of years, but Mr West, who is 81, knew something wasnt right long before that. He said he first realised Ms Scales wasnt functioning as normal 15 years ago as she performed on stage.
It has stunned everyone that its developed so slowly. It was a play that Pru was in at Greenwich, he said. It wasnt that Pru had forgotten her lines or didnt say them properly, it was that I could see her thinking.
I knew there was something wrong for quite a long time we didnt know what it was.
Its not Alzheimers, explains Mr West, its a related kind of dementia. It develops very gradually.
But he says she has met the disease head-on.
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Exactly How Has It Changed Your Life
Timothy: While Pru and we nevertheless go right to the theater, she does not keep in mind anything about this a while later. It is difficult to truly have the type of conversations we accustomed have. We live for the minute. We find taking into consideration the previous unhelpful, however its OK become in the current because, from day to time, We dont actually notice any deterioration.
Prunella: Im sure it can be boring for Tim because he utilized to reside using this one who had a really fast head and an excellent memory, and today it russian order bride prices will require me personally a little bit of time.
Exactly Just What Do You Think Whenever The Diagnosis Was Got By You
Timothy: I happened to be very very first aware of things maybe maybe perhaps not being quite right about 15 years back once I saw Pru in a play and I also could observe that she ended up being needing to look at the next line, that has been unlike her.
Therefore she went for a few tests therefore the medical practitioner stated he thought it had been a vascular condition, in the place of Alzheimers. It should be a form that is mild of due to the fact development happens to be remarkably sluggish.
Prunella: Im extremely grateful that nowadays things are diagnosed and known as and you will be taught how to approach them. Im a reasonably smart person and one makes adjustments. Our company is dealing with it.
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Nick Cotton Played By John Aldman
‘Nasty’ Nick Cotton was another of the soap’s original villains, and gave Dirty Den a run for his money. In fact he was worse, brought in by the soap’s producers as an “agent of chaos” responsible for the show’s first murder, Reg Cox, who was found dead in the opening scene of the opening episode.
Throughout 30 on-off years on the show, Nick was involved in multiple deaths. But drugs were his ultimate downfall after battling a heroin addiction throughout the 90s, an overdose in 2015 left him fighting for his life.
He died on the 15th of February 2015 exactly 30 years after Reg Cox had died in the same spot and his dying words were admitting to the murder.
How Has It Changed Your Lives
Timothy: While Pru and I still go to the theatre, she doesnt remember anything about it afterwards. Its not possible to have the sort of conversations we used to have. We live for the moment. I find thinking about the past unhelpful, but its OK to be in the present because, from day to day, I dont really notice any deterioration.
Prunella: Im sure it can be boring for Tim because he used to live with this person who had a very quick mind and a good memory, and now it takes me a bit of time.
Also Check: Senile Dementia Of The Alzheimer Type
Why Was Fawlty Towers Axed
Actors and co-writers John Cleese and Connie Booth both quit the show before the third season possibly because of their failed marriage.
She was said to be unwilling to be involved and practically retreated from public life after the first series finished.
She was initially unwilling to collaborate on a second series, which explains the four-year gap between productions.
For 30 years, Connie Booth declined to talk about Fawlty Towers until she agreed to participate in a documentary about the series for the digital channel Gold in 2009.
Andrew Sachs, who played Manuel in the series, sadly died in November 2016.
Maybe You Have Needed To Reduce On Your Own Workload Tim
Timothy: No I have actuallynt. We probably need but to date this hasnt been necessary. Were really happy to possess a marvellous live-in housekeeper and carer whom assists Pru whenever Im not around.
Prunella: Tim loves touring and travelling. Ive for ages been a real house human body. It is vital for me personally to possess a base. We dont also like opening the door that is front place the milk bottles out. Its weve that is amazing such a long time!
Read Also: Did Margaret Thatcher Have Dementia
Inside Eastenders Star’s 57
EastEnders star Timothy West, 87, played Sean Carter on the BBC soap and he’s been married to Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales for a whopping 57 years, who has been suffering a tragic dementia battle
Staying married for nearly 60 years is no easy feat, with many of us only dreaming to have a long-lasting partnership like that.
But for one former EastEnders star and his actress wife, the past 57 years have only brought them closer.
Timothy West is known for his role as Sean Carter on EastEnders from 2014 until 2015, Eric Babbage in Coronation Street in 2013 and Ted in Last Tango in Halifax, among others.
But it’s his marriage to Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales that melted viewers’ hearts as they watched their loving relationship on screen in Channel 4 boating series, Great Canal Journeys.
Read More
Together they travelled the UK’s most beautiful sites on water, and their strong bond was clear.
Prunella, now 88, played Sybil on the iconic hotel-based British comedy which also stars John Cleese.
She married Timothy, 87, in 1963 and the pair love spending time at their rambling Victorian home in Wandsworth.
But that’s not to say the pair haven’t faced their struggles.
To the heartbreak of viewers, Prunella has retired from television after 50 years in the business due to her ongoing battle with dementia.
Read More
Read More
Dot Cotton Played By June Brown
The mother of Nick, Dot was introduced as a gossiping, God-fearing local woman who’d lived in Walford nearly her whole life and was estranged from her cheating husband. She had a difficult relationship with her son, and would ask no questions when he regularly disappeared for weeks on end.
Her Samaritan-esque ways are a great comfort to many in Walford but also causes some difficulty, gaining her a reputation as something of a meddling busy body.
She struggles to cope with Nick’s heroin addiction and tries her best to help him but has never been the motherly type. Ultimately when Nick overdoses in 2015, she doesn’t get help for him and allows him to die.
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Fawlty Towers Star Prunella Scales Loses Presenting Job Due To Alzheimers
British icon Prunella Scales has stepped away from her career in television after more than five decades, according to reports.
The 87-year-old, who is best-known as Basil Fawltys wife Sybil from the hugely successful BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, announced back in 2014 that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimers.
However sources have now claimed that Prunella and husband Timothy West have been replaced as the hosts of Channel 4 show Great Canal Journeys due to the stars ailing health. UK news outlet The Sun reported that Prunella and Timothy, who married in 1963, recorded their last episode of the travel series in 2019.
Its not a decision Pru and Tim have taken lightly but theyre delighted its Gyles and Sheila, a source told the outlet.
It has been alleged that the couples shoes will be filled by veteran actress Sheila Hancock and British writer and actor Gyles Brandreth.
Prunella shot to fame in the 1970s as Basil Fawltys wife Sybil in the hugely successful BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. She went on to star in the likes of Coronation Street, The Marriage Lines and Mapp & Lucia.
Her latest television role was that of presenter on Channel 4 documentary series Great British Canal Journeys, which saw her travelling some of Britains most popular canal-boat routes on a barge alongside her husband of 56 years, fellow British comedy star Timothy West.
Sharon Watts Played By Letitia Dean
The adopted daughter of Den and Angie Watts, Sharon was every inch the spoiled teen in Walford, always with the best clothes and must-have tech. She’s close with both parents when Den and Angie split, Sharon is caught in the middle until Angie leaves. In 2002, she travels to Miami to bring Angie’s body back to bury her.
She’s left and returned to Walford three times, most recently in 2012, and now runs the Queen Vic herself.
Despite being an EastEnder’s favourite from the start, Shazza’s biggest storyline to date remains the explosive ‘Sharongate’ during her marriage to Walford hard-man Grant Mitchell, Sharon was conducting a secret affair with his brother, Phil, the uncovering of which is one of EastEnder’s highest viewed episodes of all time.
She went on to marry Phil, who she’s still happily married to.
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Her vascular dementia has been a very slow development but its become more of a worry.”
The couple have two sons together – Samuel and Joseph.
Read More
Lou Beale Played By Anna Wing
Anna Wing was an actual IRL East Ender, and had already amassed plenty of TV credits before she joined the soap, including Dr Who.
After she left she mainly worked on stage, but also continued to work on plenty of British TV and film productions including The Calcium Kid with Orlando Bloom and kids film Tooth in 2004.
In 2009 she attended her on screen daughter Wendy’s funeral. Anna passed away in her sleep in 2013, age 98.
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Have You Got Involved With Dementia Support Groups Or Therapies
Timothy: No we havent. Its largely a question of time. Were already involved with all kinds of organisations and charities, and because Prus energy isnt what it was, it is difficult to commit ourselves to anything else that demands regular hours of commitment.
Prunella: I dont want to draw too much attention to my condition otherwise people will say, Dont employ Pru, she cant remember anything.
What Is Dementia The Killer Disease That Robs Sufferers Of Their Memories
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of neurological disorders
A GLOBAL CONCERN
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders which impact memory, thinking and behaviour.
There are many different types of dementia, of which Alzheimers disease is the most common.
Some people may have a combination of types of dementia.
Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in their own unique way.
Dementia is a global concern but it is most often seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live into very old age.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?
The Alzheimers Society reports there are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, of which more than 500,000 have Alzheimers.
It is estimated that the number of people living with dementia in the UK by 2025 will rise to over 1 million.
In the US, its estimated there are 5.5 million Alzheimers sufferers. A similar percentage rise is expected in the coming years.
As a persons age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia.
Rates of diagnosis are improving but many people with dementia are thought to still be undiagnosed.
IS THERE A CURE?
Currently there is no cure for dementia.
But new drugs can slow down its progression and the earlier it is spotted the more effective treatments are.
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Den Watts Played By Leslie Grantham
‘Dirty’ Den Watts was Albert’s Square’s original villain, terrorising his wife and neighbours and getting his teenaged daughter’s best friend pregnant.His marriage to alcoholic Angie Watts was one of the most tempestuous the soap had ever seen and a year after we were introduced to them he handed her divorce papers on the 1986 Christmas Day episode watched by a record breaking 30.15million viewers. He was “killed off” by an East End gang in 1989, but returned again in 2003 for an 18 month stint, before being killed off for good at the hands of his second wife, Chrissie Watts.
His character has been described by EastEnders executive producer Louise Berridge as being arguably one of the most iconic soap characters ever.
Who Is Prunella Scales Husband
Prunella has been married to Last Tango in Halifax actor Timothy West since 1963.
Tim and Prunella met on the set of a TV costume drama.
He had been briefly married before and had a daughter, Juliet.
In 1987, the married couple appeared together in the BBC production of What the Butler Saw.
Prunella played Mrs Prentice, opposite Tims Doctor Rance.
In 2003, Prunella appeared as Hilda, she who must be obeyed, the wife of Horace Rumpole in four BBC Radio 4 plays, with Timothy West playing her fictional husband.
In January 2020, the pair were forced to quit TV show Great Canal Journeys due to her ailing health.
Tims career is still blooming.
Soap fans might recognise him best for playing Albert Square patriarch Stan Carter in EastEnders until 2015.
More recently, he was landowner Jeremy Lister in BBC1s period drama Gentleman Jack.
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Bn Bill To Treat Disease
Treating dementia around the world will cost more than £500billion this year, British researchers predict.
The global cost has risen by 25 per cent over the past five years and will hit $1trillion, or £634billion, by 2018, the Kings College London academics said.
The total bill for dementia care would be more than the market value of major companies such as Apple and Google.
The findings, published in the 2015 World Alzheimer Report, estimated that dementia currently costs the UK economy £26.3billion.
Morgan added: It was no more powerful an illustration of how awful a disease Alzheimers is than for me to talk to someone just after she had watched her husband being interviewed for two hours and she cant even remember being in the studio. It was an extraordinary moment.
In January 2013 Miss Scales told the Daily Mail that her short-term memory was fading to the point she could not remember whether she had just made herself a cup of coffee.
She said she struggled to remember the year either of her two sons were born, or what year she married Mr West.
But she went ahead with TV series Great Canal Journeys in which her illness was addressed with gentle humour.
A year later in March last year, in a joint interview with the Radio Times, Mr West said she had mild Alzheimers. Miss Scales, a CBE, however, said at the time she was determined not to let her condition stop her from acting.
Piers Morgans Life Stories will begin on September 4 on ITV.