Bruce Forsyth told his wife Wilnelia Merced to go ahead and live life happily without him before his death.
The sad news the legendary entertainer had passed away broke on Friday after he had taken a back seat from public life due to deteriorating health.
And his words to his wife have now resurfaced after his death from an interview she gave in November last year.
She explained to the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine that the couple had been forced to deal with the situation of an ailing Bruce as he increasingly struggled with his mobility.
He insisted she remain strong after his passing and make a life for herself that she is comfortable with.
Speaking ahead of his death, she Wilnelia told the publication: “I don’t think about it too much. I hope I’ll be prepared somehow, but it doesn’t feel real.”
On his health, she added: “He’s the man I fell in love with because his brain is there. He has a bit of a problem moving, but we still laugh and talk. The pain is more emotional; sometimes we cry, but mostly we laugh.”
Bruce and Wilnelia met when he was 52 and she was just 23 and they married in 1983.
The television host quit his role presenting Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and he was reportedly too ill to celebrate his wife’s birthday in 2016.
His health was said to have badly deteriorated late in 2015 after he suffered two life-threatening aneurysms which resulted in him undergoing surgery.
Wilnelia said: “The operation took his energy because of his age, there’s no question about it. Some days are better than others. On the not-so-good days, he tries to rest.”
A statement released by Bruce’s manager Ian Wilson after his death on Friday, read: “It is with great sadness that the Forsyth family announce that Sir Bruce passed away this afternoon, peacefully at his home surrounded by his wife Wilnelia and all his children.
“A couple of weeks ago, a friend visited him and asked him what he had been doing these last eighteen months.
“With a twinkle in his eye, he responded, ‘I’ve been very, very, very busy… being ill!’ Unfortunately not long after this, his health deteriorated and he contracted bronchial pneumonia.
“The family would like to express their thanks to the many people who have sent cards and letters to Bruce wishing him well over his long illness and know that they will share in part the great, great loss they feel.
“There will be no further comment at the moment and it would be much appreciated if the privacy of Sir Bruce’s family is respected at this most difficult time.”
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