Debbie McGee made sure she paid a heartfelt tribute to her dad, Patrick, on what appeared to be his fifth death anniversary. Taking to her Instagram page on Wednesday, the former Strictly Come Dancing star shared a rare black-and-white photo from her childhood, featuring her father. "My Dad and I when I was five," she wrote in the caption. "We lost him five years ago but he is always in my thoughts. The best [red heart emoji]."
Friends and fans of the star rushed to post messages underneath, with Ruth Langsford commenting on the likeness between father and daughter. "You're SO like him Debbie," the This Morning presenter wrote, while Gemma Atkinson said: "Lovely pic Debbie." A third post read: "Such a pretty little girl! Lovely photo. X." Another follower remarked: "Such a lovely photo, you look so alike." One follower empathised: "What a lovely picture. I lost my mum and dad three years ago and always in my thoughts xxx."
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Debbie was born in Kingston upon Thames in 1958 and was raised by her parents Patrick and Lillian. She met her future husband Paul Daniels in his 1979 summer show in Great Yarmouth, where she auditioned for a summer cabaret season. They married in April 1988, a decade after they first met. The TV star sadly lost her husband Paul in 2016.
© Photo: Getty ImagesDebbie and Paul were married for 28 years
The couple were married for 28 years, but Debbie revealed that the celebrity magician would want her to find a partner. "With him being so much older than me, we did talk about that," the dancer recently told the Sun. "He always used to say, 'But I know you'll cope'. And he said, 'I hope you do meet somebody else. I don't want you to be on your own for the rest of your life'. He always said, 'I know you'll cope.'"
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However, Debbie sympathised with those who have managed to move on very quickly. "I think when you lose somebody you want to go on as it was," she previously said on Good Morning Britain. "You want to bring somebody into your life, everyone and every situation is different. Some people will have nursed their partner for years. If they have a terminal illness and have grieved during that time and then they are immediately ready. We're all different."
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