Lynda Bellingham's heartbroken husband Michael Pattemore has opened up about adjusting to life without the beloved actress. Lynda, 66, tragically passed away 'in her husband's arms' in October after losing a battle to cancer. "The house is so empty without her, and I haven't stopped crying since she died," a grief-stricken Michael told the Daily Mail. "I keep expecting her to walk in."
"Lynda's handbag is still lying exactly where I put it after she died," he added. "Her diary is still open on the table, filled with her plans for the future. Lynda loved making plans." Lynda, who was renowned for her bubbly personality and positive approach to life, leaves behind a legacy including a successful film and television career, as well as devoted fans and friends. Her funeral on 3 November saw stars from the stage and screen gathering in the Somerset town of Crewkerne to pay their respects and say farewell to their friend.
Her best friend Christopher Biggins, and Loose Women co-stars, Jane McDonald, Andrea McLean, Kate Thornton and Coleen Nolan were among those seen arriving at St Bartholomew's church ahead of the funeral, to celebrate her extraordinary life. "When we carried Lynda in, everyone was crying," revealed Michael. "But when we carried her out, everyone was laughing, which is what Lynda would have wanted." In her final TV appearance on Loose Women, filmed the day before she passed, Lynda spoke about her brave decision over the summer to stop her chemotherapy treatment, one year after her initial diagnosis. She had hoped to spend one final Christmas with her loved ones. "Her death has left the biggest hole in my life," said Michael, describing her as 'everything a man could ever want in a woman." "What I had in my ten years with Lynda, most people never have in a lifetime."
Michael's interview comes a few days after charity Macmillan revealed that they would use Lynda's voiceover as part of their Christmas advert. The campaign features Lynda providing the voiceover for a montage of families remembering their loved ones at Christmas as they recite lines from the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The advert is particularly poignant as Lynda had hoped to spend one last Christmas with her family. "She would be happy to know that her legacy continues through this Macmillan advert," said Michael. "Especially at Christmas which was her favourite time of the year." Oxo will also be paying tribute to the Loose Women panellist over the festive season. Thirty years after Lynda starred in the famous Oxo advert, ITV have revealed that they will air the commercial again on Christmas Day in tribute of the 'nation's favourite mum'.
