Ronnie Corbett was secretly battling Motor Neurone disease before his death

Corbett's wife opened up about the entertainer's secret battle with the neurological disease
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Emma Powell1 April 2016
The Weekender

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Ronnie Corbett was battling Motor Neurone disease before his death, his wife has confirmed.

The legendary comedian died on Thursday, aged, 85.

Speaking about her husband’s diagnosis to the Daily Mail, Anne Hart said Corbett “started to feel unwell and found it hard to breathe and to lie down” around Christmas 2014.

After a “thorough check-up” he was diagnosed with the neurological disease in March 2015.

“As you can imagine, it just knocked us both back," she said. "We had not really heard of it. If it hadn't been for Stephen Hawking (who suffers from the disease) and the Eddie Redmayne film about him, The Theory Of Everything, we would not have heard of it at all.”

The much-loved entertainer was cared for by Hart and their two daughters Emma and Sophie.

“It became a 24-hour job with Ron getting gradually weaker,” she said. “He was not in pain, and up to the last 48 hours, he was fully conscious and aware of everything.”

On Tuesday Corbett’s oxygen levels dropped and he went into a coma. He was taken to Shirley Oaks Hospital in Croydon where he died on Thursday morning surrounded by his family.

“Throughout his whole illness, he never once grumbled or complained," Hart said. "No one could have been more courageous.”

Tributes poured in following the news of his death with Paul Hollywood deeming him a "true legend", Gary Lineker labelling him a "national treasure" and Jeremy Corbyn dubbing him a "giant of British entertainment".

Corbett is survived by his wife, Anne Hart and their two daughters, Emma and Sophie Corbett.

Follow @StandardShowbiz for more news.

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