Faulty Towers star Prunella Scales was diagnosed with vascular dementia over a decade ago as her son revealed she was ‘not well enough’ to understand her husband Timothy West’s death

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Timothy West and Prunella Scales have died within months of each other(Image: PA)

Actress Prunella Scales has died following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s that left her “not well enough” to comprehend the loss of her husband Timothy West last year. The Faulty Towers star died aged 93, just months after Timothy.

Their children confirmed the sad news in a statement as they said: “Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.”

They added: “She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”

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Timothy died in November last year(Image: BBC)

Timothy and Prunella enjoyed a lengthy marriage, having wed in 1963 before welcoming two sons together. However, in January 2013, Prunella revealed her short term memory was fading.

A year later Timothy confirmed that she was living with Alzheimer’s disease and had been diagnosed with vascular dementia. The couple appeared together in 10 series of Great Canal Journeys for Channel 4 from 2014 until her Alzheimer’s reportedly progressed to the point where they had to stop in 2020.

Prunella recieved the full support and love from Timothy as she said their relationship didn’t change. She once said: “I have got to know him better and better and better.”

Timothy added: “I know that things are going to change a little bit, but it has been a long time and we have managed pretty well really. I don’t think we ever think ‘Oh no’.”

The actress added: “I have been asked to live the rest of my life with somebody I respect very much and agree with a lot of things and argue with about a lot of things quite happily.”

Timothy stated that the pair “somehow coped” with the news although Prunella often didn’t think about her condition. However, as the disease progressed, Timothy revealed he struggled to communicate properly with his wife.

“When we’ve been to a concert, or a play, or a film, there’s nothing very much we can say about it afterwards because Pru will have a fairly hazy memory,” he said on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories. “She’d have enjoyed her evening and she’ll perhaps talk about the acting, but she’s not able to cope with talking about what the play was saying.”

He added: “Well, the sad thing is that you just watch the gradual disappearance of the person that you knew and loved and were very close to. There’s a lot of her left, and we still enjoy life and there are a lot of things that Pru is able to enjoy and we’re able to do together.

“If you live from day to day it’s manageable. It’s when you start thinking of the past and thinking, ‘Oh what a shame she can’t do that anymore, she doesn’t appreciate that anymore and we can’t talk about this anymore’, then it’s sad.”

Timothy died “peacefully in his sleep” on November 12, 2024. Following his death, their son Samuel gave an update on Prunella. Heartbreakingly, he told the Sunday Times: “All I am going to say is she’s not really well enough to take it all in.”

In a BBC interview in 2023, Timothy recounted the doctor’s words during the diagnosis as he said: “We went to see a specialist who said, ‘Sorry, this is just something which happens to you when you are older and it’s not going to get any easier, but you can cope with it. Don’t let it get you down.'”.

According to the NHS, vascular dementia is a common type of dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. It’s estimated to affect around 180,000 people in the UK. Vascular dementia tends to get worse over time, which can make daily activities increasingly difficult and someone with the condition may eventually be unable to look after themselves.