June Whitfield: A life in pictures

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Look back at memorable moments from the life of June Whitfield, the versatile and much-loved British actress.

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Born in south London in 1925, June Rosemary Whitfield made her first stage appearance at the age of three.

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She got her first break on radio, appearing in Take It From Here alongside Wallace Eaton, Jimmy Edwards and Dick Bentley.

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Television parts soon followed, including a role as a nurse in The Blood Donor, one of Tony Hancock's most fondly remembered "half hours".

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In 1968, June made her first appearance on Terry Scott's sketch show Scott On..., a programme she would appear in for the next six years.

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The actors had a long and successful partnership on screen, spending five years as husband and wife in Happy Ever After and eight more in Terry and June.

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From 1992 onwards, Whitfield found a whole new audience as Jennifer Saunders' mother (and Julia Sawalha's gran) in BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

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In later life she could also be found in such lavish costume dramas as the BBC's adaptation of Henry Fielding's Tom Jones.

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Between 2005 and 2010, Whitfield made frequent appearances in Last of the Summer Wine as Nelly.

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In 2015, at the age of 89, June appeared in EastEnders as Sister Ruth, a nun with a secret.

Image source, Getty Images
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After decades as a warm and reliable presence on British screens, she remained fabulous - and appeared in the Absolutely Fabulous movie, which came out in 2016.

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