Great British Bake Off legend Dame Mary Berry lost her son William aged just 19 in 1989 after he was killed in a car crash, but she has reflected on his life and his tragic death
Great British Bake Off legend and baking guru Dame Mary Berry has recalled the terrible moment that the police knocked on her door to inform her of her son's death.
The 88-year-old foodie, who regularly features on TV for her baking and has written more than 80 books, has revealed the heartbreak at the heart of her family after son William died aged just 19 in a car crash in 1989.
Mary shared her son William with long-term partner Paul Hunnings, and the couple have two other children. Mary has recalled the moment she learned of the tragic death of her son William, who would have been 53 now.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mary recalled: "It was a glorious January day and it was sort of 1 o'clock and he wasn't home. The doorbell rang and there was a policeman there, and immediately then I knew why. And he said, 'There's been an accident and I'm sorry to say your son is dead."
Mary also revealed that she still celebrates her son William's life as she explained: ""Every occasion we can we drink to Will. And you wonder what would have been. I still think of him as 19. He would be 53 now. Who would he be?"
She added: "Still, after all these years, his Bristol friends put flowers and notes at Penn church [the family lived in Penn, Buckinghamshire for over 40 years]. It’s lovely. I think he had an effect on his friends. I hope it made them drive more carefully."
Mary Berry featured on Great British Bake Off as a judge from 2010 until 2016 when it still featured on the BBC. Now as a new series has begun on Channel 4, where it has aired since 2017, she has wished new presenter Alison Hammond luck but has said she will not be watching the new series.
Mary said: "I had seven wonderful years at Bake Off and it’s a wonderful format. It gets people and children cooking. I don’t actually watch it, because you can imagine, being married to me, there’s a lot of food about, so we don’t watch much cooking on telly."
Speaking at the Cheltenham Festival, she adds of Alison: “I hope that she’s very good. They’ve had a good swap around since I left. But they are all good, and they bring a different way of life to the Bake Off."
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