Eddie Large’s wife, Patsy McGinnis, has revealed she begged nurses to let her see him before he died, but wasn’t allowed in due to restrictions over coronavirus.
The comedian, who was one half of Little And Large with Syd Little, died aged 78 after contracting coronavirus while in hospital for heart failure.
Patsy revealed that she begged to see Eddie but wasn’t allowed due to the risk of infection, telling The Mirror: ‘I was saying “please… please”, but they said they couldn’t let anyone in.
‘It broke my heart I couldn’t be with him those last days.’
She’s also unsure whether she will be allowed to see Eddie’s body to say goodbye before his funeral, and his comedy partner Syd won’t be allowed to his funeral as rules currently state only close family members can attend due to social distancing.
Eddie died four days after testing positive for coronavirus, and Patsy spoke to him for the final time just hours before he passed away.
She said: ‘The last words I said to him were “darling I love you, we all miss you so much and really want you to be able to come home”.
‘He wasn’t feeling good and said “I’m going to have to go darling”. Then he said “I love you” , put the phone down and that was it.
‘At 4am the hospital rang to tell us he had passed away.’
Eddie and Patsy met in 1977 when they both starred in panto together in Aladdin.
What does self-isolation mean?
Self-isolation means staying indoors and avoiding all contact with other people for 14 days, according to the NHS.
It means no going to work, school, the shops or even to the park for some fresh air, in order to minimise the risk of passing on Covid-19.
Public transport and taxis are a no-no and you shouldn’t have visitors over, even if you just stay at home.
Anyone in self-isolation is advised to ask friends, family and delivery drivers to pick things up for you and drop them-off. You should put a sign outside telling people you are self-isolating and everything should be left on the floor outside your front door to avoid the risk of further infections.
Those who are self-isolating are still advised to stay away from their pets as much as possible and to wash their hands before and after touching them.
If you live in a house share and have to self-isolate, the advice is to stay in your room with the door closed and only emerge to use communal kitchens, bathrooms and living areas if absolutely necessary.
Who should self-isolate?
The government advises anyone returning from Category 1 areas (Hubei, Iran, Italy and Daegu or Cheongdo in South Korea), to go straight home and self-isolate, even if they don’t display any symptoms.
Travellers should use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do next.
Anyone returning from Category 2 areas should self-isolate and call 111 if they have Covid-19 symptoms. You can find the list of those places here.
He had been admitted to hospital at the end of February after picking up an infection fue to his weakened immune system and suffered another suspected heart attack.
Eddie had been told then that he only had days or weeks to live, but once he tested positive for coronavirus his family were no longer allowed to visit him.
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MORE: Comedian Eddie Large dies aged 78 after contracting coronavirus
