Dale Winton dead: Pal claims star never spoke about suicide but said he’d ‘had enough’
DALE WINTON’S close friend said the Supermarket Sweep host never spoke about suicide, despite telling him he’d “had enough” before he died aged 62 on Wednesday.
Celebrities pay tribute to DJ and presenter Dale Winton
Dale was found dead at his home in Whetstone, north London with police reportedly treating his death as “unexplained” but not suspicious.
Following the devastating news the beloved presenter had died, his friend Steve Allen paid tribute to him on his LBC radio show yesterday.
Talking about his life, Steve, who met Dale in the early 1970s, said the star told him he'd “had enough” during their discussions about ageing.
But today, Steve took to the airwaves to clear up what he meant by his choice of words.
The radio host said Dale’s meaning of “had enough” was that he wanted to escape the UK, not commit suicide.
He never talked about suicide
Steve told listeners: "He never talked about that [suicide] at all, he just said he'd had enough. His idea of having enough was he wanted to leave the country.
"He was thinking very much about leaving the country and moving somewhere else.
“And then he sells Regent's Park, the place he lived in and which I knew backwards. In fact I remember seeing that house when he first bought it and it was lovely, it was where he'd always wanted to live."
Today, it was revealed the TV star sold his townhouse for £2.6 million last month.
He then moved into a rented home opposite a DIY shop in Whetstone, where he died just weeks after moving in.
Steve went on to say: "He'd always fancied the idea of telling people he lived in Regent's Park because it was a bit flash.”
Yesterday, Steve also spilled details about Dale’s “turbulent” love life.
The host revealed the “one thing” Dale didn’t have and wanted was a partner to share his life with.
He divulged: “The one thing that he didn’t have was a boyfriend, the one thing that he wanted was a boyfriend. But it’s difficult.
“When you’ve lived by yourself for a long time, the one thing that Dale couldn’t do is handle people telling him what to do. He didn’t handle that very well.”
Dale revealed he was gay back in 2002 and he later admitted one of his biggest regrets was not telling his mother Sheree about his sexuality before she passed away when he was 21.
Steve added: “He wanted to take somebody out and show them off, but the people he wanted didn’t want to be taken out or shown off. So it was a bit disappointing. His love life was slightly turbulent.”
The sad news of Dale’s death was announced by his long-time agent Jan Kennedy on Wednesday evening.
In a statement, she said: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm the passing of Dale Winton who died at home earlier today.
“While we know many will share this terrible loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy at this time of grief.”