Poor Lynda Bellingham would be so sad over family rift after late TV star’s son ‘bans’ her husband from his wedding three years after her tragic death
The family of tragic TV icon Lynda Bellingham are divided after her husband was banned from one of her son's wedding
HOW sad that Lynda Bellingham’s son “banned” her husband from his wedding.
The late star would have been heartbroken to see how her family has fractured since her death three years ago.
Lynda was a force of nature and she loved third husband Michael Pattemore and her two sons from her second marriage with a passionate devotion.
She would have wept at the news that her youngest son, 29-year-old Robert, didn’t invite his stepfather to his New York nuptials.
Robert’s brother Michael was best man and the bride Savannah Brown looked gorgeous.
Lynda would have loved every minute, and her empty chair at the top table would have made it a bittersweet day for both her boys.
If she had still been alive then all the family would have been united in celebrating the big day, and there would have been no fallout.
Lynda was the glue keeping everyone together and sadly, when she passed away, everything unravelled.
Shortly after she died, the boys were horrified to read reports where her husband Michael claimed he was “having sex with her ghost”.
I can only assume he was maddened with grief, and I can well understand Lynda’s sons being so upset.
Lynda was incredibly brave in the final weeks and days before her death from bowel cancer.
She appeared on Loose Women looking frail but as feisty as ever, to give a very personal, heartfelt and deeply moving farewell to all of us who loved her, and she will have saved lives by raising awareness of the disease.
She was a real woman’s woman which was why she was such a big hit on the show.
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We could all identity with her and felt that we had lost a family member when she died.
Sadly, as happens all too often when money is involved, the relationship between her widower and her sons quickly turned toxic.
The boys claim Michael told them Lynda left him everything in her will.
They firmly believed Mum would have wanted them looked after and adequately provided for, but they ultimately chose not to contest her will.
Presumably they did not want her name dragged through the courts. It was a dignified, grown-up decision.
The boys did, however, express their concern that Michael apparently bought property and used the money from the will to travel around the world.
No one really knows what went on behind closed doors in the days and weeks after Lynda’s death, and emotions would have been running high.
She was taken from all of them far too soon and she had so much more life to live.
Lynda wanted to travel with Michael, and he told me that all of his trips were holidays they had planned together and he wanted to fulfil her wishes by going there on his own.
It’s just so desperately sad.
Family meant everything to Lynda. She had finally found her soulmate in Michael, who she called her “Mr Spain” and her life was good.
She was doing some of her finest acting work and enjoying being a very naughty panellist on Loose Women.
And then she got sick.
I feel so sorry for everyone caught up in the aftermath of any tragic loss, especially when there’s acrimony and unpleasantness over cold hard cash.
Sadly, all too often deep loss can cause even deeper chasms, and I don’t think there’s any way for bridges to be built between Lynda’s widower Michael and her sons.
There’s no “baddies” here, just people aching with the pain of bereavement.
Cop a load of my Taggart
I’M beside myself that you will soon be able to see my episode of Murder In Successville, in which I play a rookie copper investigating the strange death of TV’s Harry Hill.
I have never belly-laughed or enjoyed myself so much on a film set, thanks to the brilliant cast and crew led by big Tom Davis as DI Sleet.
Us hapless sidekicks aren’t given a script, have no idea what’s about to occur and just make it up as we go along.
I don’t want to give away too much of the “plot” of my episode but I do get to say “There’s been a murder” in my best possible parody of every Taggart episode ever broadcast.
This series of Murder In Successville also features episodes starring Martin Kemp, Deborah Meaden and Reggie Yates.
You can view online on BBC3.
I KNOW I am very late to the party but I’ve been catching up with The Affair starring our very own Ruth Wilson and Dominic West.
It’s gripping stuff and superbly done but I have been struck by the fact that Dominic is the double of Coronation Street’s angst-ridden teenager Simon Barlow, played beautifully by Alex Bain.
They could easily be mistaken for father and son, especially with their brows all furrowed while going through yet another on-screen trauma.
It’s uncanny.
An ace example
JUST when thought Serena Williams, couldn’t be more awesome, she coolly wins a major tennis tournament while pregnant.
I know expecting a baby isn’t an illness, but you have to be some sort of superwoman to win an event like January’s Australian Open with a teeny human being growing inside you.
Those commentators who are saying this will effectively be the end of Serena’s career obviously don’t know her very well.
If she wants to come back and add to her astonishing haul of 23 Grand Slam titles after her son or daughter is born, nothing will stop her.
She will probably triumph while breastfeeding and changing a nappy between sets.
Serena is THAT much of a phenomenon.
WE live in a democracy and politicians can flip-flop on their beliefs in order to win your support.
Which means that one minute Lib Dem leader Tim Farron can think homosexuality is a sin because of his “strict Christian beliefs” and the next, change his mind after causing deep offence and realising such a stance was neither liberal nor democratic.
Not to mention a catastrophic vote-loser.
He is perfectly entitled to do so and we are perfectly entitled not to put a cross against his name when we cast our vote on June 8.
That’s how it works.
So glad Iman's back
I CANNOT believe Iman is 61 years old.
The woman who was married to David Bowie for 24 years until she was widowed last year looked incredible at a red carpet event in New York this week.
I’m glad she is now venturing out and starting to rebuild her life. Iman will never get over the loss, but somehow she will learn to live with it.
And I’m sure Bowie wouldn’t have wanted her to lock herself away and mourn him for ever.
It was heartening to see her looking in such good spirits.
Kim 'diet' is weigh too silly
THE whole Kardashian circus has largely passed me by, although I do appreciate why people find Kim in particular so fascinating.
Her life is a soap opera and we are all invited to watch, comment then buy whatever she is selling.
You do have to take your hat off to her because Kim is globally famous and filthy rich despite having no discernible talents.
She was the pioneer of the “famous for being famous” trend that shows no signs of dissipating.
Now usually when Kim is simply showing off her bum and flogging stuff on Instagram it doesn’t bother me in the least, but she said something this week that made me wince.
She became sick just before the upcoming Met Gala in New York – an annual fundraising gathering of over-the-top frocks and a massive photo opportunity for the Kardashian brand.
Kim claimed that she lost almost half a stone after her illness, and she seems to think that being sick is to be celebrated because it means you can’t eat properly.
It was a stupid thing to say and insulting to people who struggle daily with ill health.
Like it or not, Kim is a woman of influence and her fans listen to her.
They copy her hairstyle and make-up and want to wear the same beauty products that she uses.
I would like to think that her comments were meant as a joke but, sadly in that crazy bubble she inhabits where looks are everything, she probably was ridiculously happy to have lost six pounds.
Kim has been showing off her weight loss this week in what looked like a pair of see-through tights worn as a teeny tiny frock emblazoned with an image of the Virgin Mary.
As always, this outfit will get photographed, copied and talked about – and that, of course, is the whole point.
I just wish that on subjects other than fashion and make-up, she would think twice before reaching for her mobile phone to post a comment.