Mary marked her 90th birthday on Monday with a party on the BBC talk-show
Mary Berry broke down in tears over her son’s tragic death on a special edition of The One Show paying tribute to her.
Turning 90 on Monday (March 24) the celebrity chef and former Great British Bake Off judge was treated to special birthday messages, including one from Prince William.
With Claudia Winkleman and her former Bake Off colleagues Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins travelling to the BBC studio to see her, it was an emotional day for Mary.
One portion of the episode saw a video play of Mary and presenter Alex Jones’ trip to her hometown of Bath, where she reflected the passing of her son William.
William lost his life in 1989 at the age of 19 following a fatal car accident while he was on a visit home from university, leaving his family devastated
“In 1989 you and your family went through something no family should have to go through. You lost your son William when he was just 19,” Alex said.
Tearing up, Mary recalled: “Will asked me to borrow the car and ‘can I take my sister’. I said ‘you’ll be back for lunch’. It came 1.30pm and there was a knock on the door and it was a young policeman.
“I knew then that something was wrong, you instantly know. Then they took us down to the hospital and running around down the corridor was Annabel. I thought ‘that’s a blessing’.
“Then I saw William and he was so at peace. We were lucky to have him. We talk about Will a lot and we were very proud of him.”
Composing herself, Mary went on to talk about her life with her husband Paul John March Hunnings, who she married in 1966 and had three children with.
“We respect each other, he’s become much more appreciative as the years have gone by. Even now, I say ‘would you like me to be home with you’. He says ‘I love having you at home but you really enjoy what you do, off you go’. We are very fortunate.”
Following the video, Mary was surprised with a video sent in by Paul, who himself turned 93 a few days ago and gifted her an eternity ring.
“Happy birthday love, you’ve done very well. That’s coming from both me and Darcy (their dog), who’s at my feet. We look forward to many more happy years together. God bless,” Paul said.
Presented with a birthday cake near the end of the episode, Mary was delighted with the sponge cake made by New Zealand chef Monica Galetti and her former baking colleague Lucy Young.
“It is sheer perfection. Lots of filling, so fresh, perfect protection. Lucy and Monica are star bakers,” she said in a reference to the Great British Bake Off.
