TV legend Cribbins’ wife of 66 years dies
THE wife of TV and film star Bernard Cribbins has died aged 89.
Gillian was married to the “devoted” Doctor Who actor for 66 years.
Bernard, 92, is known for the Carry On series, Fawlty Towers, The Railway Children and Jackanory, while also famous for narrating the Seventies children series The Wombles.
Writer James Hogg tweeted on Monday: “Bernard Cribbins has asked me to announce that his wife Gillian passed away earlier today.
“They were married in 1955 and were devoted to each other.
“When chatting about their wedding day for his autobiography, he talked for hours and didn’t want the conversation to end. So sad.”
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The cause of death has not been made public.
The couple, who lived in Weybridge, Surrey, met when they were both aspiring actors in Oldham Repertory.
In a 2018 interview, Oldham-born Bernard revealed that he and Gillian had been unable to become parents.
Bernard said: “We lost one quite early on and that was the only time we got near it.
“It’s just one of those things and I consider myself very fortunate to have been given a job like Jackanory, which has been wonderfully popular and gives you a very warm feeling to think of all those who watched it as a child.”
His two Doctor Who roles were Tom, a companion, in a 1966 movie and then, 41 years later, Wilfred, the grandfather of Catherine Tate’s character Donna.
Bernard, who fully recovered from prostate cancer after being diagnosed in 2009, also released comedy singles Hole in The Ground, Right Said Fred and Gossip Calypso.