A final Christmas after all for Lynda Bellingham

Oxo revealed yesterday that hundreds of thousands of people had been in touch with the brand asking for the 1984 My Christmas ad to be shown again in memory of Ms Bellingham’s life and career.

The 66-year-old, known for her role as the Oxo mum and as a Loose Women presenter, had spoken of her plans to spend one more Christmas with her family with a real tree just days before she lost her battle with cancer on October 19.

Premier Foods, which owns the Oxo brand, said: “The My Christmas Oxo advert from 1984, starring much-loved actress Lynda Bellingham, will be re-screened on Christmas Day in memory of her life and career.

“Over the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of Lynda’s fans have rallied behind a call for the return of the ad as a fitting tribute for all the inspiring things she achieved during her career.

“To honour the sad loss of such a fabulous actress, organisations and individuals involved in the creation and production of this initiative have given freely of their time. Premier Foods will make a donation to Action Against Cancer, one of the charities supported by Lynda, in line with the wishes of her family.”

The ad will air on ITV at a time yet to be confirmed and will also be available to view online throughout the day.

Ms Bellingham had colon cancer which later spread to her lungs and liver.

She was diagnosed last July but in September disclosed she had decided to end her treatment to limit the amount of suffering her family would witness.

In her last few weeks, she spoke openly about her illness and its effect on her family, giving an emotional final interview to her friends on Loose Women which was screened just days after her death. In interviews leading up to her death, she had talked about how she wanted to see one more Christmas with her family.