BBC Breakfast viewers admitted they were left deeply moved by a heartwarming exchange between actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales this morning as the couple celebrated 60 years of marriage in a new interview.
Speaking to reporter Colin Paterson, the British actors sat down to discuss their lives together, with Prunella, most famous for her role as Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, leaning over to kiss her husband tenderly on the cheek when he asked her what life with him had been like through the decades.
The touching moment saw Prunella, 91, who has had symptoms of vascular dementia for more than 20 years, say to her husband, 89: ‘Thanks for sticking with me for so long.’
West responded: ‘Well, we’ve done all right’ before asking her ‘It hasn’t really been hard work, has it?’
She replied: ‘No! He’s a person I like, I love, I enjoy being with.’
Those watching described the moment as heartbreaking, with one person quipping ‘Who’s chopping onions in here?’.
The interview also saw broadcaster Paterson reveal that Prunella, who continues to live at her family home with care, had a more hilarious answer off camera.
In an article for BBC News, the journalist said: ‘Interview over, the cameraman goes over to Scales and asks if he can take the clip microphone off her.
At their Wandsworth home, actor Prunella Scales, 91, offers a kiss on the cheek to her husband of 60 years Timothy West in an interview to mark their wedding anniversary on BBC Breakfast. Scales, 91, was diagnosed with vascular dementia more than 20 years ago but has continued to live at home with care
Scales told journalist Colin Paterson: ‘He’s a person I like, I love, I enjoy being with’ as they discussed reaching their milestone anniversary
The couple pictured with one of their two sons in the first decade of their marriage; West reflected during the interview ‘we’ve done all right’
Happy together: The couple still live in their home close to Wandsworth Common in London
Their Great Canal Journeys series for Channel 4 – which was candid about Prunella’s dementia – won the couple legions of new fans
‘”Oh good,” she goes, a twinkle appearing in her eye. “Now I can say…”‘
He added: ‘And out of her mouth comes a four-letter word completely unsuitable for broadcast on BBC Breakfast.’
West published a book recently, Pru and Me: The Amazing Marriage of Prunella Scales and Timothy West, discussing the couple’s decades of marriage and how they’ve coped with the progression of Prunella’s illness.
In September, West, who shares a home in Wandsworth with his wife, admitted he misses the ‘companionship’ of his ‘best friend’ as her dementia battle continues.
This week, the couple celebrate their Diamond wedding anniversary
West spoke out in September about missing his wife’s ‘creative energy’
BBC broadcaster Colin Paterson revealed that Scales had a much cheekier answer about the couple’s marriage when the cameras stopped rolling. He said the actress shared ‘a four-letter word completely unsuitable for broadcast on BBC Breakfast.’
After their respective careers brought them together, the couple wed in 1963
Coping: Prunella and Timothy were forced to quit their Channel 4 TV show, Great Canal Journeys due to her ailing health in January 2020
The actor, who appeared in EastEnders and Coronation Street, says he can no longer discuss plays or concerts with his wife because she doesn’t remember.
The 89-year-old admitted he longs for her ‘creative energy’ and the brilliant ideas she had and parties she would love to go to with people she had newly met.
West says he spends a lot of time reassuring her during periods of confusion: ‘She doesn’t have much awareness of time so when she joins me, her face lights up as if we’ve been apart for days. The look on her face makes me realise how much I love her.’
He added: ‘She seems to manage incredibly well with things, as I try to, but surely she must sometimes wonder whether she is going to be allowed to end her days in this house that has been so dear to us.
‘Not recognising me hasn’t been a problem but it will come, I’m sure.’
Timothy, who says he first noticed changes in his wife in 2001, says that the condition is now ‘part of their lives’ as they adapt to accommodate her needs.
Prunella ended her 67-year acting career in early 2020.
West told BBC News that the couple’s relationship had endured, saying: ‘I know that things are going to change a little bit but it’s been a long time and we’ve managed to do well.’
Prunella, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty (pictured) in Fawlty Towers, ended her 67-year acting career in early 2020
Their most recent success was Great Canal Journeys, which saw them lift the lid on their battle and let viewers in on their day-to-day lives. The last series of the Channel 4 TV show aired in January 2020.
Giving an insight into a typical day for the couple, Timothy revealed that Pru likes to sleep a lot and often retires to bed for a ‘snooze’ after having breakfast together.
However the actress is still every inch the entertainer and Timothy says she enjoyed a party for her birthday in the summer as well as attending three Proms.
The veteran acting couple pictured together in When We Were Married in 1986
The couple, who ‘fell in love over crosswords and packets of Polo mints’, first addressed Pru’s condition after she began struggling with her lines on stage in the early noughties.
Timothy explained that by 2003, Pru, who was performing in A Woman of No Importance, was relying on ‘idiot boards’ to get her through the show.
They did not receive a formal diagnosis until 10 years later and he explained that the progression of her illness has ‘taken a very long time’.
Prunella’s Fawlty Towers co-star Andrew Sachs died in 2016, just four years after he was diagnosed with dementia by doctors.
Pru and Me: The Amazing Marriage of Prunella Scales and Timothy West, published by Puffin, is out now.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
