FOR MY EIGHTIETH birthday my darling wife, Wilnelia, presented me with the most beautiful hardback book of photographs, which told the story of my life. Starting with the old black-and-white shots from my childhood – me in my sister Maisie’s arms, me on the beach at Newquay enjoying a family holiday, my dad at work in his garage, and so on – the photos progressed chronologically through my early days in cabaret and variety, the fantastic times I had at the Palladium, and beyond to the hit TV shows of the seventies, eighties and nineties, such as The Generation Game and Play Your Cards Right. And let’s not forget the fantastic years I enjoyed presenting Strictly Come Dancing.
Alongside my professional life, there were wonderful shots of my family life, too. All my lovely children, in-laws and grandchildren smiled out at me from the pages. It was a gorgeous gift and I was deeply moved.
Then someone suggested that I should turn Wilnelia’s concept into a published book. I was surprised at the suggestion, but at the same time thrilled at the idea. I knew I would love working on such a project. So that is what you have here – a collection of photographs, many from my own personal archive, that help to tell the story of my life. It’s eight decades’ worth of some of my favourite memories. And I’ve got a lot of memories! There are stories of friends and family, colleagues and contestants, and perhaps the odd villain, too. It hasn’t all been plain sailing but it has been a dream come true.
I have loved every moment of putting this book together – what a wonderful trip down Memory Lane – and I very much hope that you enjoy reading it, too.
