‘Her spirit was there’: Joanna Lumley farewells Ab Fab star June Whitfield

Absolutely Fabulous stars Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders bid a teary farewell to their friend and co-star Dame June Whitfield this week in an emotional service.

The two talented actresses joined a crowd of mourners at All Hallows Church in Tillington, West Sussex to say their final goodbyes.

Whitfield sadly passed away late last year at the age of 93 following an expansive career on TV and radio.

Speaking out following the service, an emotional Lumley told the Daily Mail she had to “mop up” her makeup during the touching funeral.

Describing the service as more of a celebration of life than a sombre occasion, the 72-year-old explained it is exactly what her friend would have wanted.

“The funeral was touching beyond words, funerals are always touching because the person is actually there and so many people have said they have the feeling she hasn’t gone, her spirit was there, funny, generous and lovely,” the Daily Mail reported she said.

Fellow Absolutely Fabulous co-star Jennifer Saunders also gave a few words, describing the funeral as “absolutely marvellous”.

“She wanted people not to be miserable, she wanted to have a happy memory of her and ending with ‘Everyone get happy’. It was perfect, it was so typical and beautiful and graceful and light,” she told the Daily Mail.

Whitfield was a regular on television screens across the world for six decades, well-known for her roles on Carry On films, Hancock’s Half Hour, Absolutely Fabulous and Friends.

Read more: Absolutely Fabulous star Dame June Whitfield dies aged 93

Her career first began in the 1940s with a stint of television and radio appearances. She featured in the London production Ace of Clubs and South Pacific. Over the course of her life she appeared in over 1,300 radio and TV shows.

In 1992, her fame rose again as she featured on the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous as lead character Edina’s sarcastic and thieving mother.

While she was meant to just appear in on episode fans loved her so much that she continued on with the show, becoming one of the most popular characters.

Her age didn’t hold her back either, featuring on the BBC show EastEnders at the age of 89. Three years later at the age of 92, she became a dame.

Do you remember watching Dame June Whitfield on TV?