Sir Bruce Forsyth's widow Lady Wilnelia Merced has opened up about the final moments leading to her husband's death during an emotional interview on Monday's This Morning. The National treasure sadly passed away in August aged 89. Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, the former actress shared: "I was so lucky to be married to him for 34 years. It was a very happy marriage."
Bruce and Wilnelia were married for 34 years
The couple had been happily married for 34 years and had one son together, Jonathan Joseph. Lady Wilnelia, 60, went on to praise the support of her stepdaughters. "The last week all the girls they came to the house and stayed and we watched movies and it was a very special time," she explained. "I know how lucky we are to have been able to say our goodbyes." When asked about spending her first Christmas without Bruce in Puerto Rico with her mum and family, Lady Wilnelia said: "It was very special and on this occasion I was able to have Bruce's daughters, my step-daughters, I call them my five angels… I don't know what I was going to do the last year - it's been very difficult - without them. We had a kind of religious service there - it was very, very special."
READ: Celebrity friends pay tribute to national treasure Sir Bruce Forsyth
Next month, Lady Wilnelia will be holding an event in celebration of her late husband's life which will take place at the London Palladium. Money raised will go towards hurricane relief in Puerto Rico. "We have more than 50,000 people already apply to come and it's been very overwhelming," she said. "He always said that if he reached 100 he wanted to celebrate his birthday at the London Palladium so we thought it was very appropriate for us to have his celebration there. Bruce was always so conscious about his public and his fans so we took 500 of the first letters sent and we invited them."
