Last August, she spent 10 days in hospital after tripping over some bricks while picking sweet peas in her garden. After it was discovered she had broken her hip, Mary had surgery. This meant that the ever-busy star had to spend a couple of months convalescing, shelving her work and home commitments, while her loved ones rallied round.
‘My daughter, Annabel, and all the family were wonderful and helped out, while I got better,’ says Mary, who had three children with her husband, Paul – her daughter and two sons, Thomas and William, the latter of whom sadly passed away as a teenager. ‘Also, I have a very sweet neighbour, Victoria, who cooked all these lovely dishes, like lasagne, which was so kind and thoughtful.’
Now, a slight limp is the only sign of the surgery she had and Mary says that she’s made good progress. ‘I’m fine,’ she smiles, clearly keen not to make a fuss. ‘I’ve been doing lots of physio and going for walks uphill close to home, to get my mobility back. I had no idea it was going to take quite so long, but I have been patient with it.’
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