The late Lynda Bellingham was remembered by her friends and family at a private memorial service on Wednesday. Lynda, who famously starred as the mother in the long-running Oxo adverts, died from cancer last October.
Her widower Michael Pattemore was seen arriving at the St Stephen Walbrook church in the City of London shortly before noon, with Lynda's two sons, Michael and Robbie Peluso, from the actress' previous marriage.
The group welcomed fellow guests at the church – the same venue where Lynda and Michael married on the star's 60th birthday seven years ago.
© Photo: RexMichael Pattemore (centre) arrives for his wife Lynda Bellingham's funeral, accompanied by her sons Michael and Robbie
Other wellwishers who were spotted flocking to the church included on-screen stars Amanda Redman, Lesley Joseph, Patricia Hodge and Christopher Biggins.
Speaking during the "service of thanksgiving", Michael recalled his wedding to the TV personality, telling guests how he thought his heart would burst with happiness, but "this time my heart is bursting with sadness."
"She was unique," he added. "No other way of describing her. She was a complete one-off. It breaks my heart that the one thing I could not protect her from was this disease called cancer."
© Photo: RexLynda Bellingham's funeral took place in Somerset three months ago
Former Archdeacon of London Peter Delaney conducted the service and noted how Lynda had meticulously planned all the details. "The contents of this service are Lynda's wishes because she planned her farewells," he said. "She wasn't a control freak, but by God she wanted to know what was going on."
The Loose Women panellist had organised a two-part send off – with the memorial arranged to be held in London to allow her friends from the capital to say goodbye. Lynda's funeral, meanwhile, had taken place in early November at St Bartholomew's Church in the town of Crewkerne, Somerset.
At Wednesday's farewell, each guest was given an order of service that featured Lynda's smiling solo portrait on the front, and on the back, a family photo taken when she received her OBE at Buckingham Palace. Inside, a beautiful montage of personal photos had been printed on a double spread.
Lynda passed away in the arms of her husband in a London hospital. In August, she had announced her decision to stop her chemotherapy in November, so that she could have "one last Christmas" with her family and die in January 2015. Lynda, however, passed away in mid-October, after her cancer had spread to her lungs and liver.
