Russ tribute to comic Bella

RUSS Abbot has paid tribute to his comedy sidekick Bella Emberg, calling her a one-off.

Bella, who shot to fame alongside Russ in the 1980s playing Blunderwoman to his hapless superhero Cooperman on The Russ Abbot Show, died on Friday aged 80.

Russ, 70, said: “She was not only a great sport but a huge comedy talent. A genuin inely funny woman, but most of all a woman of immense warmth and generosity. “She really was a one-off.” Les Dennis, 64, who appeared on Russ’s show, tweeted: “So sad to lose the lovely Bella.”

The Brighton-born star had recently finished filming In The Long Run, a Sky One comedy created by Idris Elba.