Strictly star ‘didn’t recognize’ his wife in tragic moments before devastating death

Debbie McGee has spoken out about the heartbreaking final moments of her husband’s life, revealing he didn’t always recognize her in his final days. The star wrote about the tragic decline of her husband, beloved magician and entertainer Paul Daniels, who died in 2016 at the age of 77 after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. Paul took part in Strictly in 2010 and danced with Ola Jordan.

Debbie followed in her late husband’s Strictly footsteps in 2017, just a year after Paul’s death, becoming Giovanni Pernice’s partner. She became a finalist on that series and won the Strictly Christmas Special in 2019.

Deeply emotional, 65-year-old Debbie told how the illness quickly took hold of Paul. She described how her once-vivacious husband lost his spark and his memory in the weeks before his death: “It’s important to me to share his story because I want to help other people.”

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Debbie remembered him collapsing on the bathroom floor in his final moments, overwhelmed with confusion and unable to understand what was happening to him. In a heartfelt blog post for the charity Brain Tumor Research, she wrote: “I held him as he cried and wondered what was happening to him.”

Debbie and Paul were married for almost thirty years, together since the late 1970s, and met when Debbie was Paul’s magic assistant. But in 2016 her world collapsed. The first signs appeared subtly during the Christmas season when Debbie noticed that her husband was no longer himself, lacking energy and enthusiasm.

Paul’s diagnosis of an incurable grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme came as a huge shock, she reveals: “I received the devastating news… he had a malignant and extremely aggressive brain tumor. The tumor was so advanced that even basic tasks were no longer possible for him.

Debbie explains: “He had spent some time in hospital but was so confused he didn’t really know what was going on. I’m glad he knew me, but unfortunately he didn’t always know where he was.”

She adds: “I was holding him when he could say, ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’ I just looked straight at him and said, ‘You have a brain tumor, Paul.’ Of course they had told him before, but I don’t think he understood it well enough.”

During his final days, Debbie looked after her husband in their home on the Thames. Despite the devastating prognosis, she made sure he felt comfortable and was able to see his family and friends. He passed away peacefully on March 17, 2016 with Debbie present.

Debbie adds candidly: “I know in my heart he’ll never come back, but I do believe that when someone is such a big part of your life and you’ve shared so much with them, they never really leave you.” ”