Sheila Hancock has spoken about her overwhelming loneliness following the death of her husband, John Thaw, more than 24 years ago. The actress, who has just celebrated her 93rd birthday, married the Inspector Morse star in 1973, and he adopted her daughter Melanie from her first marriage. They later had a daughter, Joanna, while John's daughter Abigail also joined the family. John died from oesophageal cancer in February 2002, years after Sheila herself had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1988.
Writing in Prospect magazine last year, Sheila explained that the loneliness can be 'terribly difficult' and that she feels 'overwhelmed' knowing she is facing the day alone. 'The easiest thing is to turn over and stay in bed, but an effort must be made when one least feels like it, to get up and be active, or one descends even deeper into the Slough of Despond,' she wrote. She added that while friends and family have been a 'great comfort', she still feels the 'gaping loss'.
Sheila also revealed that she still speaks to John when watching the Channel 4 news, often imagining how they would rant about politicians and world news together. The actress, who has appeared in Great Canal Journeys, EastEnders, Home to Roost and Edie, has previously spoken about the enduring nature of grief.
More recently, Sheila opened up about ageing, telling Katherine Ryan's What's My Age Again? podcast that turning 90 changed how people view her. 'They suddenly start treating you as old and you find you're acting old if you're not careful,' she said. She cheekily noted that it can be useful: 'If I have had enough of this interview, I can actually say, "well, I'm very bored with this, I'm leaving," and everybody will say, "oh, poor old thing. She's gone a bit senile". It's a wonderful excuse for bad behaviour.'
