A beloved BBC TV chef famed for her cooking show on BBC2 as well as a range of books sadly died owing money to the taxman, after blowing an eye-watering inheritance
A beloved BBC TV chef died at 66 owing money to the taxman. Two Fat Ladies star Clarissa Dickson Wright, who presented the BBC2 show alongside Jennifer Paterson, sadly passed away aged 66 on 15 March, 2014.
At the time, her agency paid tribute to the star, saying: “Loved dearly by her friends and many fans all over the world, Clarissa was utterly non-PC and fought for what she believed in, always, with no thought to her own personal cost. Her fun and laughter, extraordinary learning and intelligence, will be missed always, by so many of us.”
A spokesperson revealed Dickson Wright “hadn’t been well for a little while” and had been receiving hospital care since the start of 2014. Her official cause of death was cited as pneumonia.
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The former barrister – who had held the record as the youngest woman ever called to the Bar – partnered with Jennifer Paterson for the hugely popular cookery programme in the 1990s.
The daughter of a royal surgeon and an Australian heiress, Dickson Wright received a £2.8million inheritance following her mother’s death in 1975. The loss of both parents triggered severe depression and a 12-year battle with alcoholism.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2009, she talked about attending AA meetings, saying: “You’d go there and you’d know they would be pleased to see you without wanting anything from you. And that you could talk about the stresses in your life. To me it’s very important to go to AA. It helps with the serenity levels.”
She continued: “I don’t mind people drinking. I keep a very good cellar for my friends in my house – it’s only me who doesn’t drink.”
At the time of her death, the star still owed £17,000 to HMRC and had savings worth £9,000. Her possessions were then auctioned, raising around £40,000, which meant that her goddaughter received a £33,000 inheritance.
Two Fat Ladies, which featured the duo touring Britain on a Triumph Thunderbird motorbike with Paterson at the helm, aired on BBC Two from 1996 to 1999.
Paterson passed away in 1999 at 71 following a fight with lung cancer whilst shooting the fourth series of their TV show.
An active Countryside Alliance supporter, Dickson Wright also made history as the first female Rector of the University of Aberdeen. She once courted controversy by saying people should eat badgers that had been culled, even suggesting ways to cook the animal.
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