Richard's husband pays tribute to star

Wendy Richard's husband has paid tribute to his late partner, describing the EastEnders star as his "soulmate".

The Walford favourite passed away on February 26 following a battle with cancer. She was 65.

John Burns, who started dating Richard after they met at a London pub 13 years ago, has now spoken about his grief for the first time.

"We weren't lovey-dovey. She would never hold my hand or stroke my arm - most of the time we were squabbling," Burns told the Sunday Mirror. "But there was deep, deep love there. She was my soulmate."

"She was my mate, my wife, my friend. And I miss her desperately," he continued. "But I feel lucky to have known her. That she chose me."

Burns added that the most poignant moment came when he shot the ending of a documentary that he had been filming about his wife's cancer battle.

"She was so brave, wanting some good to come out of the bad," he explained. "She wanted to show people that chemotherapy wasn't something to be scared of.

"When she died, I had to shoot the ending and talk about Wendy not making it. It was incredibly difficult because - obviously - it wasn't how I'd hoped to end the film. We'd all dreamed of showing her coming out triumphant. Sadly, that wasn't to be."

The programme, titled Wendy Richard: To Tell You The Truth, airs on BBC One on Thursday at 8pm.