Des O’Connor: British entertainer had been privately diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease years before his death

‘He didn’t want people to feel sorry for him,’ said his wife

Des O’Connor had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease prior to his death, his wife Jodie Brooke Wilson revealed.

The British TV legend died aged 88 on 14 November last year following a fall at his home.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Wilson revealed that O’Connor had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s three years before his death, but “dealt with it very privately”.

Wilson said: “He didn’t want people to feel sorry for him and for it to be what they first thought about when they saw him.”

“He was diagnosed in 2017 but he thinks he had had it for a while,” she added.

O’Connor and Jodie Brooke Wilson (Rex Features)

Wilson, who had been married to O’Connor for 13 years, recalled that the entertainer had first noticed “seeing a tremor” when he starred in a London Palladium production of The Wizard of Oz in 2012.

“In one of the scenes he had to be put up in a hot-air balloon and go up into the gods. He had to say there for a little bit,” she said. “He remembers thinking it strange, but never thinking it was Parkinson’s-related.”

Explaining why O’Connor had chosen to keep his diagnosis a secret from the public, Wilson said: “Des wanted people to be uplifted chatting to him, rather than thinking about his illness. It was a very gradual thing.”

Wilson went on to reflect on the moment that the beloved comedian had been informed of his diagnosis, stating that he was “very upbeat about it”.

“He dealt with it, saying, ‘Yes I’ve got it, but I’ll keep taking the tablets and keep smiling.’ That’s what he did: took the tablets and kept smiling,” said Wilson.

At the time of his death, O’Connor’s agent and family friend Pat Lake-Smith revealed that the star had been admitted to hospital following a fall at his home in Buckinghamshire.

Lake-Smith said that O’Connor had been recovering well when the star’s condition “suddenly deteriorated and he drifted peacefully away in his sleep”.

The singer, chat-show host and comedian had an illustrious career that saw him present numerous TV shows and perform alongside esteemed music acts, including Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly and Barbra Streisand.