Emmerdale and Benidorm star Bobby Knutt died at the age of 71, but instead of leaving his four children his estate, he divided it between his sister and two friends
The late actor and comedian Bobby Knutt, who died at the age of 71 in 2017, left his estate to his sister and two closest friends, leaving little for his four children. Two of his offspring didn’t receive a penny from his £350,000 will, while the other two were bequeathed £5,000 each.
Probate documents revealed that his sister, Tina Martin, was the recipient of two-thirds of the estate, with the remaining third going to Michael and Patricia Ward, whom Knutt referred to as “my closest friends”. The Benidorm star, known for his role as Eddie Dawson, specified that they should profit from the sale of his home in Elsecar, South Yorkshire, including its contents and his cars.
They were also left his collection of “jesters and military miniatures”. His Royal Doulton “Punch and Judy man” was left to another friend, Ian Crossley, who performs under the stage name Fine Time Fontaine.
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Knutt, who took over from Brian Glover as the voice of the cheerful “Gaffer” on the long-standing Tetley Tea Folk animated TV adverts, left his assortment of ceramic models of Tea Folk characters and memorabilia to Tina. He also bequeathed his Omega Seamaster watch and a collection of watercolour paintings of Derbyshire scenes to his friend and solicitor Stephen Smith, stating: “They would look nice in his bar.”
The actor died in September 2017 after suffering a heart attack on holiday in the south of France, reported the Express. He had been married three times and had two sons and two daughters from his first two marriages.
But the love of his life was his third wife, former Olympic athlete Donna Hartley, who died suddenly aged 58 from suspected heart failure as she sunbathed in the couple’s garden in June 2013. Knutt’s dying wish was to be buried in the same grave as her.
The pair met whilst Knutt was performing at Butlin’s holiday camp in Pwllheli, north Wales. They tied the knot in 1986 and on their 25th wedding anniversary, Knutt said of his wife, who claimed a bronze medal in the 400 metre relay at the 1980 Moscow Olympics: “I wish I’d married my third wife first.”
He fell into depression following Donna’s death before securing the role of Eddie Dawson in ITV’s Benidorm. Knutt said: “She was the great love of my life – my best pal.
“We never rowed in all our years together. For 12 months after Donna died I was in a very dark place.”
Sheffield-born Knutt was a northern club entertainer before achieving TV stardom in the 1970s when he appeared on The Comedians. He was also known for his role as Albert Dingle on Emmerdale.