Saturday, 7 March 2009

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Wendy Richard hid extent of her cancer from family

Actress didn't want people fussing over her

Wendy Richard had beaten breast cancer twice previously

Wendy Richard knew she was dying of cancer – but decided not to tell her loved ones.

The former EastEnders star passed away last month at the age of 65. 

Despite being told the disease had spread to her kidney and bones, Wendy had strongly denied that she was terminally ill.

‘Telling everyone I am not dying is my way of dealing with the situation I find myself in,’ she told the Sunday People in her final interview.

‘When it was reported my cancer was terminal I never actually told anyone I was dying. What purpose would that have served?

'People fussing over me, I would have hated that just as [EastEnders character] Pauline would have. She would have ordered everyone away and told them not to worry.’

Wendy married John Burns, 45, her partner of 13 years, in an intimate ceremony at the Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair in October.

SEE PICTURES Former EastEnders star Wendy Richard marries John Burns>>

Alison Adey