A famous Oxo advert starring the late Lynda Bellingham is to be aired on Christmas Day (25.12.14) in tribute to her.
The actress died at the age of 66 in October from colon cancer before she was able to fulfil her wish to spend one more Christmas with her family.
A Facebook campaign was started by fan Beverley Hardwick to get the 1984 advertisement aired again and now ITV has confirmed it will broadcast the commercial starring Lynda and her Oxo family during a prime time show on the festive day.
The news was exclusively announced by Ruth Langsford on ‘Loose Women’ today (11.11.14) – the talk show on which Lynda was a panellist.
Ruth said: "We can announce that we can share Christmas with Lynda … It’s lovely isn’t it. I think she’d be thrilled … what a lovely legacy to leave behind."
Ruth’s co-star Coleen Nolan – a good friend of Lynda’s – added: "It’s one of those campaigns that starts and you think when everything has quietened down they won’t bother, the fact is they’ve tirelessly campaigned and they’ve got it and it’s fantastic!"
Campaign organiser Beverley called into the daytime programme and revealed her motivation for starting the petition to honour Lynda – who was buried last week.
The driving instructor said: "I followed Lynda all my life growing up with the adverts and all the programmes she’s done too. Her saying she wanted one more Christmas touched home – I have a family member who is also going through this … To play the advert, to achieve her wish that she can no longer achieve (is great)."
Premier Foods, which owns the Oxo brand, said in a statement: "Over the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of Lynda’s fans have rallied behind a call for the return of the My Christmas Oxo advert from 1984 as a fitting tribute for all the inspiring things she achieved during her career.
"To honour the sad loss of such a fabulous actress, organisations and individuals involved in the creation and production of this initiative have given freely of their time. Premier Foods will make a donation to Action Against Cancer, one of the charities supported by Lynda, in line with the wishes of her family."
Lynda Bellingham’s Oxo ad to air at Christmas
