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TRAGIC LAST DAYS
Pals tell of TV Dale Winton’s agony as he lost his home, career and his hope
TRAGIC Dale Winton told friends he’d “had enough” in the months leading up to his shock death.
The TV host, found dead on Wednesday at 62, plunged into depression as his career stalled — then he lost his beloved mansion.
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Sources said he had become increasingly erratic and withdrawn, sparking fears he could have chosen to end his life as his mother did 42 years ago.
One industry source, who had recently worked with Dale, said: “He just didn’t seem himself anymore.
“He’d battled depression in the past but over the last few months it appeared to have really taken hold.
“He was quite erratic and could become very downbeat quickly, and a number of people who knew him were concerned.
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“Nobody quite knew what caused his behaviour to change so quickly, but it was very sad.”
His best pal, radio DJ Steve Allen, told on Thursday how he recently admitted he had “had enough”. He added: “I feel better for him now, because I don’t think he’d been in a good place for a long, long time. I feel happy for him that he’s in a place now where he’s probably going to be eternally young.”
Dale, best-known for hosting 1990s daytime game show Supermarket Sweep, lived on a private mews in Regent’s Park, central London, for around 20 years.
But he sold his townhouse for £2.6million last month, before moving to a rented home opposite a DIY shop on a main road in suburban Whetstone, North London.
Dale Winton's best mate Steve Allen reveals the star's Fears about ageing
Pals said the star, who presented a string of other shows including the National Lottery before his career slowed down, always struggled with finances.
Steve went on: “He was just getting deeper and deeper into debt because unfortunately the one thing Dale loved doing was spending money.
“He liked to be seen spending money, he liked going out spending money. He didn’t want people thinking he didn’t have any money.”
Police last night said the star’s death at his new home was “non-suspicious” and officers will submit a file to the coroner.
And it seems the tragic star had struggled with the idea of getting older too, as he confessed to taking 'super strong slimming pills and amphetamines in a bid to stay young'.
He had been open with his plight to look good, admitting to two face lifts and a nose job, but eventually he become a 'yo-yo dieter' and he took drastic action.
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Dale’s comedian pal David Walliams told last night how “he was one of the funniest people I ever met”.
He said: “I think of him as a cross between a teddy bear and an angel. He was so wonderful at being famous. He would give people so much of his time.”
He added: “He just made people happy when he came on screen. I just wish he could find happiness himself.”
Dale was 21 when his actress mum Sheree, then 39, took her own life after a battle with depression.
He found her dead after she put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on her bedroom door.
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Dale, who came out as gay aged 47, later revealed his regret at not telling her about his sexuality.
His father Gary Winner — who divorced his mum when he was a child — had died when he was just 13.
Ian Grant, 84, a caretaker who looks after a flat near Dale’s old mansion, said he was a “lovely man”.
Big name fling
A PAL of Dale’s last night told how the star had an affair with a famous actor who was not openly gay.
Steve Allen said Dale would sneak off a lunchtimes when the pair worked at UBN radio in the ’70s.
DJ Steve said: “Years later I said to Dale, ‘So, where did you go? And he said, ‘I was seeing someone’.
“I said, ‘Unlike you to keep that quiet. You usually tell me straight away’. Then he told me he was seeing a very famous actor.”
Steve said the actor is now dead. He added: “I discussed it with a mutual colleague and said I didn’t even know this (actor) guy was gay.
“Apparently he was bisexual. The person who worked with him said, ‘We always thought he was a bit camp’. Well he went out with Dale.
You’d laugh if you heard who it is.”
It looked as if his love life was adding to Dales unhappiness, as a friend reports he ";went off the radar" after breaking up with a boyfriend who lived in the US.
The TV host spoke openly about his deep desire to find love, and would often commute to Florida to spend time with his partner, however when that turned sour, the star struggled to recover.
He recalled during an interview on Loose Women that his lack of love had transcended into depression, leaving him unhappy.
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But he added: “He hadn’t been as chirpy as he had been, but I put that down to him getting older. I realised his health wasn’t quite right, he didn’t look that great. He always had time for people no matter who they were.”
Dale’s cousin Madeleine Trehearne said of the star yesterday: “We feel he died far too young and we’re really cut up about it.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said last night: “The death is not being treated as suspicious. A post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course.
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