Prunella Scales Fell In Love With Already-Married Timothy West, Nursed Her During Dementia Diagnosis

Prunella Scales' death has left the entire world in tears. At the age of 93, Prunella passed away at her London home. For the unversed, she is best known for playing 'Sybil Fawlty' in the 1970s British comedy series, Fawlty Towers. It is worth mentioning that Prunella had to early retire from cinema after she was diagnosed from Dementia, a form of Alzheimer's. 

However, in those difficult time, it was her husband, Timothy West, who stood with her and nursed her. The two even starred in the documentary, Great Canals Journeys, which revealed Prunella's health struggles and how Timothy stood with her in those tough times. Before we dive into Timothy West's role in her life, let's take a look at their love story.

Prunella Scales fell in love with already-married, Timothy West

Prunella Scales fell in love with Timothy West in 1961 while they were acting in the BBC play, She Died Young. During those days, they would complete crosswords together, ate polo mints and laughed on each other's jokes. While the relationship seemed to be perfect start of a great love story, the two faced the biggest trouble as Timothy was already married.

While Prunella was known for a kindness and empathy, felt extreme guilt over being the 'other woman' in Timothy's life. Timothy West was married to another actress, Jacqueline Boyer and they were blessed with a daughter. However, his marriage was in the last stages, but Prunella fretted about the situation. In 1961, Prunella wrote her heart out and how painful it was for her to be stuck as the other woman. Her letter can be read as:

"Oh darling, it occurs to me that I really do love you properly and it’s awful. No it’s not awful of course, it’s marvellous, but oh dear."

Timothy West proposed to Prunella Scales at a traffic signal a week after his divorce

However, Timothy West got divorced in 1961 after five years of marriage. A week after his divorce, he proposed to Prunella at a traffic light. Prunella and Timothy dated each other for three years before getting married in October 1963. They were together for 61 years before Timothy passed away in 2024. The two were blessed with two sons, Samuel West and Joseph West. 

When Prunella was diagnosed with vascular dementia, her husband, Timothy became her pillar of strength

Prunella Scales was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013. But the early signs of it was clearly visible to her husband Timothy West, who saw her finding it difficult to remember her lines. While the struggles looked difficult, their time together and how they managed it all, became the point of attraction of their love story. 

Prunella was 67 when Tim sitting in the audience swa his wife struggle with her line. He felt that there was something wrong with her. While Prunella knew her lines, her husband could tell that she was finding it difficult to remember millisecond before speaking her lines.

However, the couple kept Prunella's diagnosis of vascular dementia (similar to Alzheimer's diseas) a secret in fear of casting director putting Prunella off their list. Soon, the projects dried up. But in 2013, Channel 4 decided to make a travel series featuring canal boating, and asked the couple to take part in the show. The couple along with their kids were canal fanatics. 

However, Prunella wasn't happy with the idea of playing herself on screen instead of a character, which she did all her life, but her husband was more than excited, so she said 'yes' to the project. During the inital part, there were discussions to keep Prunella's condition hidden from the viewers. On the other hand, Timothy thought that it would be foolish and dishonest for their fans. So in the first episode in 2014, with Prunella's agreement, Timothy explained to the world about his beloved wife's battle with dementia. 

For the next five years, fans watched the two's struggle and how they navigated while Timothy slowly lost his beloved wife to dementia. Despite her losing fragments of her memory, they hanged on together in canals and in each other. They would read poetry and enjoyed an evening glass of wine, just the same way as they always did. 

Viewers were able to see how bravely the two navigated the struggles of being old, which was never demonstrated in such a fragile way on-screen, and they watched how time ran out for them. They filmed the final series in 2019, due to Prunella's health struggles. Timothy passed away at the age of 90 in November 2024. Talking about Prunella she remained cheerful and never worried about death rather she believed in the concept of afterlife. 

More about Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales was born in Surrey, England, in 1932. She started her career as an assistant stage manager for the Bristol Old Vic theatre. She has studied at the drama school with an inclination towards acting. Her mother, Catherine, was an actor, and the love for drama was passed down to her. 

What do you think about Prunella Scales and Timothy West's love story? 

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