Edwina Currie remembers late husband's 'naughty' humour

The pair appeared on an episode of Bargain Hunt together

Former MP and broadcaster Edwina Currie has paid tribute to her "fun" husband following his death from cancer.

John Jones, a former detective with the Metropolitan Police, died at the age of 79 on 1 November after battling the disease for several years.

The pair met when Currie interviewed him during her programme on BBC Radio 5 Live in 1999.

Currie, 74, described him as a "gallant gentleman" with a "wonderful sense of humour".

The former Conservative minister, from Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, told BBC Radio Derby Mr Jones had attracted her attention during a discussion about gang violence in London.

"I just thought he sounded really interesting. He didn't sound like a police officer," she said.

"I said to my producer 'give him my number and if he's interested I'll take him to lunch in Covent Garden'."

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'Slightly naughty'

Mr Jones, whose wife had died the previous year, agreed to the invitation.

Mrs Currie said: "I got there early and he turned up in a dark blue suit and a Flying Squad tie. I thought 'I wouldn't mind being arrested by you'."

The pair were married in 2001 and had remained together ever since, even appearing as a celebrity couple on an episode of Bargain Hunt.

"We were very lucky. We had 20 great years," Mrs Currie said.

"He was fun. He made everybody smile. He had a wonderful sense of humour, slightly naughty and very old fashioned but in a gallant gentleman kind of way."

'Hearts and minds'

Mr Jones died a few weeks after opting to bring his cancer treatment to an end.

"He'd had cancer for many years. He was a heavy smoker and inevitably most people who smoke get an illness and the worst of those is cancer," said Mrs Currie.

"He had three different bouts of three different cancers. Every time he came out of hospital he left bits behind.

"Eventually the cancer came back, as cancer does, and this time it was in his bones and his brain."

Mrs Currie also paid tribute to his distinguished policing career.

"He led remarkable teams and did a tremendous amount," she said.

"He's one of those people who actually doesn't need an epitaph because he lives on in the hearts and minds of a lot of people he helped."