Only Fools and Horses star David Jason’s heartbreak with first wife and how it inspired a Touch of Frost storyline
Sir David Jason has been at the center of British comedy and television for decades and is considered something of a national treasure.
The 81-year-old from Edmonton in North London has given us many iconic roles, including Granville in Open All Hours, DI Frost in detective drama A Touch of Frost, Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, and Bianco Webb in Porridge.
And of course, he played Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in the legendary sitcom Only Fools and Horses between 1981 and 2003.
He has brought viewers joy and entertainment throughout his glittering career, but away from his impressive career as a stage and screen actor, David went through hardship in his personal life when his partner sadly passed away.
David was with his partner, Myfanwy Talog for over eighteen years before her passing.
The couple got together and began a relationship back in 1977 and remained together while he nursed her through her battle with breast cancer.
Sadly, Myfanwy lost her courageous fight with the illness and passed away in 1995.
The loss of his partner inspired David to set up his own charity in her honour, The David Jason Trust for terminally ill children.
Myfanwy Talog, who was only 50-years-old at the time of her passing, worked as a teacher before taking on a successful acting career like David.
Earlier in her career, Myfanwy appeared in television series Ryan and Ronnie (1971-1971), Hawkmoor (1978), Taff Acre (1981), Crossroads: Kings Oak (1979), The Magnificent Evans (1984), and many more.
During the 80s and 90s other television credits include Yes Prime Minister, May to December, Waiting for Good, and also provided the voice of Mrs.Clonkers in The BFG.
In David’s autobiography, the actor described how Myfanwy was the “love of his life” and how he was “numb with grief” following her ԁеаtһ.
David also bravely opened up about the moment his partner received the heartbreaking diagnosis.
He explained: “You can imagine: tears. It was terrible. She had a specialist who said she should have an operation to remove her breast because radiotherapy wasn’t going to shrink the cancer on its own.
“That was so hard for her to take. Neither of us had known anything like this in our lives before. It was a whole new reality to get used to. It was a very stressful time, a terrible, difficult emotional time.”
David’s heartbreaking loss was mirrored during a situation in A Touch of Frost, in which the character’s wife died after a long illness.
A few years after the ԁеаtһ of Myfanwy, David began a relationship with his now-wife Gill Hinchcliffe.
In 2001, the couple welcomed their daughter ,Sophie Mae, into the world.
The couple tied the knot and remain together to this day and live at their family home in Buckinghamshire
