Christopher Biggins and Patricia Hodge were among the celebrities to pay tribute to Lynda Bellingham at a memorial service yesterday (11.02.15).
The 66-year-old actor and the ‘Miranda’ star were among the 300-strong congregation at the service, which was held at St. Stephen’s Church – where she married husband Michael Pattermore in 2008 – in central London to celebrate the life of the actress, who passed away from colon cancer in October at the age of 66.
Leading the tributes was Lynda’s husband Michael who said: "Six years and nine months ago I stood here, about to marry the most beautiful woman in the world.
"I thought my heart would burst with happiness, and it did. This time my heart is bursting with sadness. I had 10 wonderful years with Lynda and that makes me a very, very lucky man.
"It breaks my heart that the one thing I could not protect her from was this disease called cancer."
The 66-year-old broadcaster Gyles Brandreth also spoke at the event, where he praised the star – who is best known for starring in a series of adverts for Oxo – for her bubbly personality.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, he gushed: "Love, laughter and friendship, those are the gifts Lynda gave us. Haven’t we been blessed?"
"She showed us how to live and then how to die with such grace and kindness."
The service had been one of the ‘Loose Women’ panellists’ dying wishes, having planned out the event for those who couldn’t attend her funeral, urging friends, "If you’re passing, do drop in for a quick boogie."
Elsewhere during the memorial, ‘Birds of a Feather’ actress Lesley Joseph read a poem titled ‘Remember’ which Lynda had penned for Michael shortly before her death, while Peter Delaney, who conducted the service, branded the service the second meeting of the Lynda Bellingham Appreciation Society following her funeral.
Following tributes from her friends and family, the organ played ‘There’s No Business like Showbusiness’, after which guests were treated to wine and music.
Other attendees included her sons Michael, 31, Robbie, 26 and Bradley, 25, as well as author Lynda La Plante, broadcasters Paul Gambaccini and Penny Smith, and actresses Sylvia Syms and Amanda Redman.
Stars attend Lynda Bellingham memorial
