Mr Showbiz who always had time for everybody
WHEN I think of Dale, I think of Mr Showbiz. Out there, giving it all, with a big smile and the tan.
He always insisted on getting that glow. He really embraced being in the public eye and absolutely loved it.
The first time I met him was years ago at a benefit at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End.
Dale had just started doing Supermarket Sweep and all he had to do was walk a shopping trolley along the stage – but he was a bag of nerves.
Encouraging him, I said: “I’ve got to go out there and do a really tricky song with an actor I don’t know and you’re worried about wheeling a bloody shopping trolley!” I said I’d swap with him any day.
Later we were both very close to Cilla Black. We both spent time with her at her place in Spain.
One time, 20 years ago, he was the one making sure Cilla was in bed early and I was the bad one who was out partying until 5am. It was a joke between the three of us, he was Nurse Winton and I was Nurse Savage.
Whenever I saw Dale he was cheerful, walking down the street chatting to everybody. I remember him saying to me: “I’m so lucky, darling.” It wasn’t something he took for granted and he didn’t have a bad bone in his body.
It amazed me he had so much time for members of the public who wanted to speak to him and wanted pictures with him. He never shunned anybody and thought it was part of the job.
Dale was great fun to work with because he was always so jolly.
He will be missed by so many.