The late Timothy West shared in one of his last interviews that he had noticed a potential sign of his wife Prunella Scales having dementia years before her diagnosis.
It was announced earlier this week that actor Timothy - who has appeared in shows like EastEnders - had passed away, aged 90, on Tuesday evening. A statement issued on behalf of the family said that they will all "miss him terribly".
Just last year, in what's thought to be one of his last interviews, Timothy spoke about his wife Prunella, 92, following her dementia diagnosis. The couple were guests on BBC Breakfast for an interview broadcast last November.
Prunella - best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in the sitcom Fawlty Towers - was diagnosed with dementia in 2014, as previously reported. Timothy however suggested that he first noticed signs of the condition as far back as 2001.
Discussing first noticing his wife's deterioration, he said: "I came to see a play that Pru was doing in Greenwich. I went to see the first night and it was good, much enjoyed by the audience, and then I went to see it again a bit later on and I thought 'Pru's not ... it's strange. She's not totally with it'."
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BBC)It was stated that her dementia diagnosis didn't come for more than a decade though. Timothy said: "We went to see a specialist who just said 'I'm sorry this is just something that happens to you when you get older'. It's not going to get any easier but you can cope with it. We manage."
As reported at the time, Prunella said in the interview: "I have got to know him better and better and better." Timothy added: "I know that things are going to change a little bit, but it has been a long time and we have managed pretty well really. I don't think we ever think 'oh no'." His wife added: "I have been asked to live the rest of my life with somebody I respect very much and agree with a lot of things and argue with about a lot of things quite happily."
During the interview with the BBC, which came ahead of the release of Timothy's book, the actor was asked about his wife Prunella's vascular dementia diagnosis and he said that "somehow" they have "coped" over the years, as reported at the time. He added: "Pru doesn't really think about it."
Timothy and Pru had been married since 1963. The couple welcomed two sons together during their relationship, with them parents to actor Samuel West and Joseph West. The family also included Timothy's daughter Juliet West from a previous marriage.
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