Del Boy never marries. He has had many girlfriends, a fact that is the subject of numerous sarcastic comments by Rodney. He finally meets his partner Raquel Turner (whom he calls his "significant other") in the 1988 special "Dates". Del's mother Joan dies on 12 March 1964, apparently after a long string of illnesses. His lazy father Reginald leaves three months later (on Del's 16th birthday), taking most of their money and even Del's birthday cake. This leaves the teenage Del as the family's sole breadwinner, looking after his grandfather and Rodney, his half-brother who was born around thirteen years after him
Raquel Olmedo landing a small role in the telenovela "La sombra del otro" in 1963. Whilst she was relatively new to the acting world, Raquel excelled in this genre further revealing yet another talent that she would master. She built a body of acting experience before finally being able to indulge her first field, singing. After the popularity of her starring role on the 1975 telenovela "Lo Imperdonable", Raquel got a record deal with CBS Records and released her first album "Mitad Mujer, Mitad Gaviota". Her career as a singer proved initially successful, with the title track from this record (written by