Cilla Black's son reveals she spent her last hours 'killing herself laughing' at Jeremy Kyle Show
Cilla Black's son Robert Willis has revealed the entertainer spent her last hours alive "killing herself laughing" at ITV's The Jeremy Kyle Show.
He has revealed to ITV's tribute show Our Cilla that the last time he saw her was when he said goodbye and went to the shops and she was "sitting around having a glass of champagne".
ITV News correspondent Duncan Golestani reports:
Showbiz legend Black died at age 72 following a fall at her villa in Spain on August 1.
The star's celebrity friends including Paul O'Grady, Sir Cliff Richard, and Ringo Starr also pay tribute to the much-loved singer and presenter in the special ITV show.
The programme Our Cilla will be screened on Christmas Day at 10.45pm.
Mr Willis, who was also her manager, has described the last time he saw his mother.
Mr Willis added: “She was an amazing mum, it was good fun to be with her.”
He said during the last two years she had begun to suffer "fairly standard things" such as hearing loss.
"Typical of my mum, she wouldn’t wear them. The thing that really affected her physically was her arthritis," he said.
The television special will include rare archive and interview footage of Black, who rose to fame as a singer alongside the Beatles before embarking on a second career as a presenter.
Cilla's close friend Paul O'Grady also paid tribute to the TV star.
Ringo Starr, who Cilla described as her "fourth brother", told the show: “She was a really good friend, you could always call on her.
"We made each other laugh; we had the same sense of humour….She was one of the people. She didn’t change her accent, didn’t put on any airs or graces.”
Trusted confidantes including her family, costume designer, hairdresser and photographer will also share their memories from behind the scenes with the showbiz legend.