Dame Mary Berry has lifted the lid on why her marriage continues to work after almost six decades.
The Great British Bake Off judge turns 90 on March 24 and has been married for 59 of those years, having tied the knot with husband Paul Hunnings in 1966.
Appearing in the April issue of British Vogue to mark her milestone birthday, she told the publication that some of the key ingredients include: “Respect. Love, of course, but respect is so important. And I don’t count the decades too closely.
“Also we never raise our voices at each other because, you know, we love each other. If I’m a bit miffed, I very often think, ‘Well, I’m not gonna say that right now.’I’ll go to the greenhouse and do some cuttings.’ Never go to sleep on a quarrel,” she cautions.
She added: “Happiness is very, very important, but it can be elusive sometimes. You have to look after it.”
Their marriage saw them welcome three children together - Thomas born in 1968, William in 1969 and Annabel in 1972.
Tragedy struck however when William was killed in a car crash aged 19 in 1989.
They have since welcomed five grandchildren, but William’s death left a huge void in their lives, which the family still feel.
Reflecting on this, she told the publication: “It was a huge tragedy, but we did have two more children, you know. We always think we were fortunate to have had him for 19 years. We still talk about him – the grandchildren particularly, the boys who love rugby,” as William did.
“[Annabel’s 16-year-old son] Hobie will come [home from school] and say: ‘I scored. William would have been proud, wouldn’t he?’
“Yes. He would be proud.”
See the full feature in the April issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday March 25.
