Wilnelia ‘prays’ that Bruce Forsyth will perform again

Bruce Forsyth’s wife Wilnelia has opened up about the most difficult year of their lives, and says she prays that he will perform again.

This time last year the 59-year-old former Miss World was wondering whether the TV legend would survive the night. The much-loved star was undergoing medical tests following a fall at home - and it was revealed he had life-threatening aneurysms.

88-year-old Bruce survived the risky surgery procedure that followed, but has been left struggling to walk.

“The operation took his energy because of his age,” Wilnelia told the Mail on Sunday. “Some days are better than others. On the not-so-good days, he tries to rest.

“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. I pray, I believe. The main thing is that he’s doing well. The pain is more emotional; sometimes we cry, but mostly we laugh.”

There’s a hefty 29-year age gap between Wilnelia and the former Strictly host, so inevitably the couple, who have been together for 36 years, have talked about the future.

“I don’t think about it too much,” she admits. “I hope I’ll be prepared somehow but it doesn’t feel real.”

The pair first met in 1980 when the Generation Game host was judging the Miss World competition in London, and as they took to the dancefloor for the first time following the competition, Bruce gamely explained to her that had two failed marriages and five daughters behind him.

“I thought, ‘Surely if you want to see me again that’s the last thing you should mention! ‘ But I appreciated his honesty,” she laughs.