Christopher Biggins admits it felt like the "end of the world" when he turned 70.
The showbiz legend reached the milestone age last December and the thought of entering his eight decade filled him with dread at first, but he soon found the positive side of getting older.
In an interview with the Daily Express newspaper, he said: "For half a day it felt like the end of the world. But I quickly recovered. I told myself one of the advantages of this milestone birthday was that I no longer needed to accept every job I was offered. I mean, there’s a limit to how many toasters you can own!"
Biggins has lost some of his showbiz friends along the way such as Lynda Bellingham – who was famous for being the mother in the long-running series of "Oxo Family" television adverts – and Cilla Black, whom he co-presented ‘Surprise Surprise’ with for three seasons.
The former ‘Porridge’ actor admits he still misses speaking with Cilla now, almost four years after her death at the age of 72.
He said: "Cilla was a legend. I adored her. Whenever I went abroad I’d always ring her on my return. It’s a reflex that’s still hard to break. I get home with a story I’m longing to share and then realise, of course, I can’t.
"In retrospect. I think I made a mistake leaving the show [‘Surprise Surprise] after three seasons. But it did nothing to dent out friendship."
Recalling his long-time friendship with Lynda – who died in October 2014 at the age of 66 from cancer – he added: "She was one of my closest friends, like a sister to me."
Christopher Biggins: Turning 70 felt like the end of the world
