Bruce Forsyth's tragic final days as Strictly host was 'too frail to say goodbye'

When Bruce Forsyth died in 2017, he left behind not only a vast legacy in British entertainment but also a close-knit family of six children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, along with his beloved wife, Puerto Rican beauty queen Wilnelia Merced.

In his final years, the legendary entertainer's health had grown increasingly fragile, with repeated hospital stays, treatments and surgeries that forced him to step away from regular presenting work. He eventually succumbed to bronchial pneumonia at the age of 89.

Yet while his decline appeared gradual to the public, those closest to him revealed a far more sudden and painful truth: his health deteriorated so rapidly that even his dearest friends were unable to say their goodbyes.

According to the Sunday Mirror, Bruce's condition worsened dramatically in the week before his passing. A source explained: "His friends weren't aware of how rapidly he had declined and he didn't want them to see him the way he was. None of his close friends came to say goodbye. Sadly it never happened. There were lots of people wanting to come and see him but they were batted away."

Instead, Bruce chose to spend his final days in the quiet company of his family. Surrounded at his Surrey home, he passed away peacefully holding the hand of Wilnelia, his wife of 34 years, with all six of his children nearby.

One family friend described those final hours: "Bruce said goodbye to all his children and to Winnie, and they were all there at the time he died. Winnie was holding his hand. It was very emotional, peaceful and sad all at the same time. It was like he had just had enough and then he was gone."

Wilnelia later revealed that her husband had begged to leave hospital to spend his last months at home. After being treated for bronchial pneumonia and undergoing a scare involving two aneurysms, doctors reluctantly allowed palliative care to be arranged. "They were so kind but said, 'If you want to take him home, he's your responsibility,'" she recalled. "They said, 'He should be here in hospital. We were told to prepare ourselves.'"

True to form, Bruce's humour never abandoned him. Wilnelia remembered how, on arriving home, he smiled as he got into bed. "Suddenly he went very quiet and closed his eyes," she said. "I asked if he wanted me to call anybody but he didn't say anything. Then suddenly he opened his eyes and said, 'I do want something.' I said, 'What do you want?' with tears in my eyes. He paused and said, 'Can I have a sausage sandwich?'"

In another poignant moment, Bruce sat up in bed the following evening watching a BBC documentary about his own life, sharing champagne with his wife. Remarkably, despite being given little time to live, he survived for another five months, enjoying precious moments with his family.

Friends and colleagues recalled how fiercely private Forsyth was about his final illness. Presenter Gloria Hunniford said: "Bruce wanted his friends to remember him as he was, a slim, active man. People were very respectful of how he felt about that."

Ex-Strictly dancer Kristina Rihanoff also remembered him fondly: "Because he started as a dancer, Bruce was so kind to us professionals. He would tell producers to send us home because we'd been working hard all day. He was a fantastic man."

Former Generation Game co-host Rosemarie Ford reflected on how his wife would have coped after his passing: his warmth and support, even in her most difficult times. "I think she's going to find it hard because she's been incredibly strong for him. "I think losing Bruce will hit her and the rest of the family hard. My heart goes out to all the family."

Wilnelia, who first met Bruce when they were judges at the Miss World competition in 1980, has since spoken movingly about their 34-year marriage. "He didn't want to go, but when the time came he was ready. If he couldn't be Bruce, he didn't want to stay. We were all together when it happened. I was holding his hand. Then a beautiful rainbow appeared which we will never forget."

Forsyth's ashes were laid to rest beneath the stage of the London Palladium, the theatre where he first found national fame. A plaque marking the spot remembers him as "Without question the UK's greatest entertainer" - a fitting tribute to a man whose career spanned 75 years and whose catchphrases, charm and quick wit became woven into the fabric of British popular culture.

For Wilnelia, the grief remains raw even years later. "People feel that because of his age I was really prepared to lose him. That's so wrong. Grief has a mind of its own - it can grab you when you least expect it."