The UK is in mourning after it was confirmed Bruce Forsyth has died at the age of 89.

His family announced his death on Friday.

Mr Forsyth was much-loved for his role in TV shows including The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and Strictly Come Dancing.

The entertainer had been unwell for some time and was in hospital earlier this year after a severe chest infection.

As the Mirror reports, he leaves behind five daughters, one son and partner Wilnelia, his third wife whom he married in 1983.


Their relationship has always attracted fascination from the public due to its huge age gap of 29 years - Brucie met Wilnelia when he was aged 52 and she was just 23 years old.

But their marriage has endured and the couple have been closer than ever during the TV legend's ill health in the last couple of years.

While Bruce has stepped out of the public spotlight, Wilnelia has represented the couple on a few occasions by giving interviews to assure his fans he is well.

In light of his death, one of her revelations about something he said to her has become even more heartbreaking.

During an interview with You magazine in November 2016, Wilnelia revealed how the couple had been forced to talk about the future.

His family has announced Bruce Forsyth's death.

He told her she is strong and will make a life without him.

Wilnelia wasn't so sure. She confessed: "I don't think about it too much. I hope I'll be prepared somehow, but it doesn't feel real."

Speaking about their relationship after Bruce's health had taken a turn for the worse, she said: "He's the man I fell in love with because his brain is there.


"The pain is more emotional; sometimes we cry, but mostly we laugh."

Video Loading

Model Wilnelia was in her early 20s when she met Bruce, then 52, at the 1980 Miss World final.

They were both judges at the contest and instantly hit it off when he took her for a spin on the dancefloor.

He told her about his two failed marriages and five daughters - two of whom are older than her - but it didn't put her off.

Instead, they enjoyed a glamorous transatlantic romance over the next two years.

The couple married in January 1983 and have been at each other's sides ever since.