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Brian Blessed has admitted he is struggling with loneliness following the loss of his wife last year.
The 87-year-old was married to fellow actress Hildegard Neil for 45 years before he died of cancer in September 2023.
In a new interview with The timesthe star who is best known for his role as Prince Vultan in Flash GordonHe spoke of his “lonely” daily routine as a widower.
“For me, breakfast will be yogurt, I eat a lot of yogurt. I love Bulgarian yogurt, although eating it alone takes some getting used to,” he begins.
“I feel quite lonely sometimes, but I have lots of friends to talk to.”
Blessed continued to talk about his friendship with Monty Python Actor Sir Michael Palin, also a widower, was married to his wife Helen Gibbins for 57 years before she passed away in May 2023.
“I recently had a nice chat with Michael Palin at the Royal Geographical Society, as he also lost his wife last year. I still feel my wife’s presence and we continue the adventurous life we used to enjoy together.”
The star shared the influence his late wife had on him, as he shared that she was the one who inspired his love for animals.
“I love gardening and animals, so I take my army of RSPCA rescue dogs out onto the lawn and tend to the flowers. I’ve planted apples, strawberries and God knows what else, so there are hundreds of birds in the garden. And butterflies, hedgehogs and rabbits too,” she said.
“I am now alone, my wife, Hildegarde, died in September (we were married for 45 years) and it was she who taught me to love animals.”
In 1974, Blessed and Neil worked together on the ITV series Yorkshire. Dominic boyin which Neil played Emma Bullman and Blessed played William Woodcock. The couple married in 1978 and have one daughter together, Rosalind. Blessed also has a daughter, Catherine, from his first marriage to American actress and Egyptologist Ann Boman.
Recalling their conversations on set, Blessed said, “We were doing Dominic boy In Yorkshire. We played the main roles together. He talked about this and that.
“I was talking about sophisticated science and imagination. She was amazed because I don’t know many actors, all I know are scientists and explorers.”
When Blessed told Neil about undefeated former boxer Rocky Marciano, who held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956, Neil “staggered” and said, “'You know, I've never met a primitive before. You're primitive, aren't you?'
“She said, 'Don't be angry, Brian, I'm praising you. True primitivism is sophisticated. It's total sophistication and you've got it.'”
