Tributes to Lynda Bellingham as TV star dies aged 66 after losing cancer battle

 
Lynda Bellingham on Loose Women during filming of an emotional farewell show
Robin de Peyer20 October 2014

Actress and presenter Lynda Bellingham, who had been suffering from cancer, has died aged 66.

Her agent said the Canadian-born star died on Sunday "in her husband's arms".

Best known for her sting on ITV's Loose Women and her role in the Oxo adverts, Lynda had been battling colon cancer, which later spread to her lungs and liver, since being diagnosed in July last year.

She had decided to stop receiving treatment on August 13 in order to limit the suffering her family would have to endure.

Lynda Bellingham with (left to right) sons Michael and Robert, husband Michael and step-son Bradley at Buckingham Palace in March

In a statement on behalf of Bellingham's family, her agent, Sue Latimer, said: "Lynda died peacefully in her husband's arms yesterday at a London hospital.

"Her family would like to thank the nurses and staff for their tremendous care and support.

"Actor, writer and presenter - to the end Lynda was a consummate professional."

Lynda Bellingham - 1948-2014

1/10

Lynda was due to appear in ITV show Loose Women on Wednesday after filming an emotional farewell show.

She received a standing ovation from the audience as she walked out after filming the show in which she reflected on her life and bravely comforted other guests as they welled up with emotion.

Coleen Nolan, joining Lynda on the sofa alongside Janet Street Porter, broke down in tears as she asked her friend how she'd like to be remembered.

"Just an honest person," Lynda replied, before reaching over to Coleen and telling her: "Please don't cry, it will be fine."

Her husband Michael, sitting in the audience, was also moved to tears as he watched on.

The star had previously explained her decision to stop receiving treatment, telling ITV's This Morning: "I just sat down when I was in pain - there's no getting away from it with chemo - the ulcers in your throat, the thrush, plus the fact I'd had major, life-saving surgery for a perforated colon.

"When you're in terrible pain, you make decisions."

Lynda had also recounted her experiences in a book, There's Something I've Been Dying To Tell You.

Stars paid tribute to Lynda on Twitter.

Actor Simon Pegg, who starred with the actress in 1990s TV show Faith In The Future, said: "Lynda Bellingham, a gorgeous, brassy, funny, generous, talented human being. My first TV mother figure and a treasured friend."

Actress and presenter Amanda Holden wrote: "So devastated to hear the news about the beautiful Lynda Bellingham."

Fellow presenter Ben Shephard said: "So so sad to hear that the gorgeous Lynda Bellingham has passed away. She was just wonderful to be around and will be sorely missed."

Born in Montreal, she was adopted by a British couple aged four months and brought up in Buckinghamshire.

Reflecting on her childhood, she said later: "I grew up on a farm. I think every child should be brought up on a farm because you see the whole of life's cycle."

Her acting career spanned five decades, and included roles in soap General Hospital and The Sweeney.

But she will be best remembered for her 16 years as "Oxo Mum" when she served up tasty meals along with sage advice and occasional flirtatious remarks.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in