Jethro: Partner remembers comedy legend as mourners gather for Truro funeral

The life partner of iconic West Country comedian Jethro has paid tribute to him ahead of his funeral.

Jethro - real name Geoff Rowe - died on 14 December 2021 after contracting Covid.

Tributes poured in for the proud Cornishman after his death, with hundreds of people expected to line the streets for his final send off today (3 January).

His long-time partner Jennie says he was never a real showman and always felt most at home in his beloved West Country.

She said: "He was a countryman, he loved his horses, he loved the countryside, and he was the same indoors as he was on the show. He was just a normal person.

"He used to go to his shows and he would never sit in the dressing room he would always sit in his truck and he would smoke a pipe. He wasn't a real showman-showman.

"He loved the local pub. He'd go down every night to the local pub. He just loved the local people and he was genuinely a home person really."

On his undisputed love of Cornwall, she said: "He knew every part of Cornwall. He'd take me all over Cornwall and say this is where my dad built a wall, and he'd show me the walls his dad built.

"He'd say 'this is St Just where I grew up' and it was lovely. And then he'd go somewhere like in St Just and we'd be sitting there having an ice cream and some friends came round and sat with us as if he hadn't left.

"It was lovely. It's really really sad that it's come to an end.

"We were together for 38 years, you know it was a long time. He's left a big void in our lives."

The pair were together for almost four decades, through the height of Jethro's comedy career.

Jennie says through that time he was meticulous and very attentive to detail and she hopes to do him proud as she says goodbye."It's got to be right for him because anyone that worked with him would tell you everything on stage had to be so right. Nothing could be wrong," she said.

She continued: "Everything had to be to the minute. And if it wasn't - look out.

"So, we have to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect. And everyone has said if it goes wrong he would never forgive us.

"Everything has to be 100 per cent right or he will be so cross with us all."

"He loved his land cruisers so my brother-in-law Tony from Castle Motors has changed his land cruiser into a hearse and he's going to drive him from Looe Down, round the club, round to our garden to Truro with a convoy of land cruisers.

"All our friends who have land cruisers are going to join the convoy so we can take him to Truro Cathedral. It's a major, major operation.

"My sister has made this beautifully Cornish material plinth and that, to go around it and covered the seats. Everybody just wants to help."  

Detail of the funeral procession can be found here.