Dame Mary Berry may be one of Britain’s most cherished national treasures, but behind her warmth and signature sponge cakes lies a life marked by deep heartbreak and resilience. At the age of 90, she is a carer for her husband and also tragically lost her beloved son at a young age in horrific circumstances.
Not one to shy away from difficult topics, the beloved baker has spoken at length about her life with Paul Hunnings, whom she married back in 1966. The on-screen baker opened up about a recent fall that left her husband with broken ribs.“He’s just had a tumble with broken ribs,” Mary shared with Saga magazine. “I’m very sympathetic about that. But he’s getting better day by day. Soon we’ll have him back to his own old self.”
Despite the worry, Mary says the experience has only deepened her love for him. “I love my husband far more now than I’ve ever done before. Now, in his dotage, he’s not so well. It’s a sheer pleasure looking after him, because he’s so grateful.”
Mary explained that putting her husband first comes naturally to her: “You know, he always comes first, that is the way I was brought up… I obviously have to do more now, but it’s a pleasure.”
But with age also comes loss. Mary reflected on the “sadness of being 90”, explaining many of her closest friends have passed away: “I’ve got a lot of girlfriends who are not as fortunate as me in having a husband, which is a great sadness for them.”
However, the greatest tragedy of Mary’s life happened decades earlier and it is something she continues to speak about with heartbreaking honesty.
In 1989, her son William died in a car accident while home from university. He was just 19. During the BBC documentary The Mary Berry Story, she described the devastating moment she learned of his death. “It was a glorious January day and it was sort of 1 o’clock and he wasn’t home,” she recalled. “The doorbell rang and there was a policeman there, and immediately then I knew why.”
The officer told her: “There’s been an accident and I’m sorry to say your son is dead.” Mary and her husband Paul rushed to the hospital to see their son one final time. “He just looked so beautiful and so lovely,” she said. “His little cold face… it was nice to say farewell.”
