Ronnie Corbett daughter on collapse: 'We weren't ready for him to die'

 
Ronnie Corbett's daughter has described the comedian's sudden collapse on New Year's Day as "one of the most terrifying experiences" of her life.

The 81-year-old Two Ronnies Star was rushed to hospital after falling ill at a dinner with his family to celebrate his CBE. "I thought we'd lost him," 43-year-old Sophie recalled to the Daily Mail. "'I think we all thought that. It was up there as one of the most terrifying experiences for all of us, ever.

"We're not ready for that. We love him hugely and we've been loved hugely by him. He likes us to feel safe.

"He can't die. He's not allowed to. He's not like anyone else I know. None of us want to see our rocks vulnerable, do we?"

Sophie elaborated that she could not come to terms with the possibility of a "proud man" like her father passing away in such a public setting.

"I felt people were gawping. And there was my proud dad who'd passed out," she explained. "There were two people sitting by the door who were really cross that people were still queuing while Dad was like that.

"They wanted to shut the restaurant to stop people coming in. I thought, 'You're getting it. This is a really private moment in a really busy place'. I don't know who they were but I'd like to thank them."

Sophie accompanied her mother and sister on Ronnie's trip to hospital and was relieved to see the comedy icon back to his old self when they exited the ambulance.

"The ambulance people put him in a chair, which was when I knew he was back with us because he rolled his eyes as if to say, 'Bloody hell, how embarrassing'," she said. "As they wheeled him out and he waved to us from the back of the ambulance. That was such a relief."

Ronnie was named in the Queen's New Year's honours list for his contribution to showbusiness and charity work.