Almost ten years have passed since comedy icon Victoria Wood lost her battle with cancer, and the poignant details surrounding her last days continue to move fans and friends alike.
The comedian died nearly 10 years ago (Credit: SplashNews.com)
Victoria, who died in April 2016 at the age of 62, was beloved for her hit programmes Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV and the cult favourite sitcom Dinnerladies. As her legacy is celebrated once again in Victoria Wood: The Secret List on December 21, those close to her have reflected on how she spent the final chapter of her life.
Her authorised biographer Jasper Rees revealed in his 2020 book Let’s Do It that Victoria’s final days were spent in her Highgate home in North London, surrounded by her two adult children, Grace and Henry, her sister Rosalind, and dear friend Piers Wenger, who helped care for her.
Before returning home for palliative care, Victoria was visited in hospital by Dame Julie Walters, who recalled finding her old friend in a state of “determined denial.” Julie shared that Victoria still spoke of managing her pain and continuing to write. “They were sending her home to die in fact, but she wasn’t going home to die,” she said. “It was her way of coping — if you admit the truth, you have to face that it’s the end.”
During her time at home, Victoria and Piers reportedly watched multiple episodes of MasterChef, while she also spent peaceful moments listening to Radio 3 and even birdsong after asking for the window to be opened. Rosalind remembered her sister’s sparkling humour never left — recalling that Victoria came up with a hilarious sketch about her sock drawer that she wished she could have recorded.
In fact, Victoria was said to be chatting and joking with family late into the evening before she passed. One friend told The Sun that she was still sitting up in bed at 11pm, speaking and laughing with loved ones. By the next morning, she was gone — a sudden change that deeply shocked those around her. But they noted she maintained her characteristic strength, control, and determination right until the end. https://youtu.be/TckuD5d1QI0
Victoria Wood: The Secret List airs Sunday, December 21 at 8:00pm on BBC Two.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
