Comedian Duncan Norvelle has died at the age of 66, just 12 years after he suffered a stroke which left half of his body paralysed.
The beloved funnyman was a familiar face on our screens in the 1980s, and was known for his camp humour and popular catchphrase ‘catch me’.
The comic is survived by his girlfriend Linda Trevallion, who cared for him over the past 10 years after his stroke. He was a doting dad to his three children: Jack, Sophie and Yasmin.
British socialite Lizzie Cundy was one of the first stars to pay tribute to the late performer on Thursday (December 12). Taking to X – formerly known as Twitter – she penned: “Very sad to hear comedian Duncan Norvelle has passed away.
“His famous trafe mark saying, ‘Chase me, chase me’ used to make me laugh so much. Sending all my love and thoughts to his family.”
In 2012, the TV favourite suffered a stroke and was informed by doctors that it was unlikely he would ever walk or talk properly again.
However, he defiantly said: “I saw a lot of stroke patients give up and not question what the doctors were saying to them, but I was determined to get better and live my life.”
After his stroke, the star spent 18 months in hospital fighting to improve his speech and mobility. Speaking at the time, he confessed: “It was an incredible wake-up call and I now live my life very differently.”
During his time in hospital, he discovered that his blood pressure was through the roof, something that is one of the greatest contributing factors to a stroke.
Following nine weeks in hospital, he cancelled his summer season with the comedy duo Cannon and Ball, and was replacd by Stu Francis.
In 2015, Norvelle chose the Embassy Theatre in Skegness to hos his first performance after taking three years away from the stage to recover from his stroke.
The comic promised fans that the money made from his show would be donated to the Stroke Association. Norvelle rose to fame on the ITV variety show Saturday Royal in the early 80s.
Before his life-changing illness in April 2012, Dincan admitted he was “living at breakneck speed.” His hectic work schedule saw him driving thousands of miles a year to bring laughter to clubs and theatress across the country.
He previously said: “I didn’t have time to worry about my health.” Linda visited him in hospital during the early days of his recovery.
Speaking at the time, she explained: “I was told he’d had a heart attack. When I saw him, I was shocked. His face had fallen and he couldn’t life his head from the pillow. I hadn’t realised how serious a stroke could be.”
When he recovered, he said: “I would urge people to get their blood pressure checked regularly and to get help straight away if they experience sudden facial or arm weakness or slurred speech as these are all symptoms of a stroke. It’s a killer, and I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones.”