ANITA Dobson has revealed she and Sir Brian May are spending Christmas Day alone as she shared an update on her husband’s health.
The Queen guitarist suffered a stroke last year and lost control of his left arm.
He was blue lit to hospital in Surrey, admitting at the time “it was a little scary.”
Sir Brian, 78, later said he is now “not allowed to raise the heart rate too high”.
A year on, the rock legend has made a strong comeback and performed at Coachella in April.
He also appeared on stage with Benson Boone in London last month for a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.
But the We Will Rock You hitmaker has no plans to embark on another lengthy tour with Queen and Adam Lambert, and is spending more time at home with his wife and on managing his health.
EastEnders icon Anita said: “He is still working on stuff. I think he is working on a song for somebody else at the moment.
“He does all sorts of bits and pieces. His health is good. He bikes every day.
“He swims maybe once, twice a week. Takes his pills. And is a good boy. So that’s the best we can hope for.”
Anita also revealed Christmas will be a quiet one for her and Brian following his health struggles, and the heartbreaking loss of several close friends.
She continued: “We are planning to spend Christmas Day alone.
“I think we just want to be at home, quiet. It’s been alternately amazing and wonderful this year. Lots of amazing things have happened, but we’ve also had lots of sad things happen.
“That’s life isn’t it. Losing people is the hardest. We’ve lost lots of friends.
“People that Bri’s worked with. People that I’ve worked with. That is really tough.
“Friends get really sick and suddenly you have to make time for all of that.
“And we do make time for all of that, but it’s very sad. There is no secret, there is no easy way.
“You just have to be there for people and just listen and be kind and make them comfortable. That’s all you can do.”
The couple, who have been together since 1988, like to do as little as possible on the Christmas Day and will enjoy a later, meat-free, dinner.
Speaking about their Christmas Day routine, she continued: “We try and sleep on Christmas Day …
“Brian would sleep all day if you let him. He works over night.
“He’s not bothered by the phone ringing and he can concentrate more because its quieter and there’s nothing going in.
“He’ll stay up late if he suddenly gets an idea. I’ll probably let him sleep on Christmas Day.”
She added: “My ideal time to eat is probably about 4pm.
“We have everything everyone else has but no meat.
EastEnders’ most iconic Christmas
Dirty Den Watts serving wife Angie divorce papers was one of the most viewed EastEnders episodes ever
Truly one of the show’s most iconic moments, the Christmas Day episode in 1986 saw Dirty Den Watts serve alcoholic wife Angie with divorce papers after he learned she was lying about having cancer.
But it followed a difficult year for Angie.
In the soap’s first ever Christmas Day episode, in 1985, Dirty Den was revealed as father of Michelle Fowler’s baby.
The year before, Dirty Den got his adoptive daughter Sharon’s best friend, Michelle Fowler, pregnant when she was just 16.
Despite the age-gap, the pair had a one-night stand which led to the birth of Michelle’s daughter Vicki.
“We are big on drinking. I will definitely have a few glasses of champagne or we might share a bottle of wine or a glass of port. Cheese and biscuits.”
In 2023 Anita was honoured at the Icon Awards, held in aid of prostate cancer charity Prost8, for her services to entertainment.
She’s had a glittering career in TV shows including EastEnders, Red Dwarf, Split Ends, Casualty, The Bill and Strictly, and on the stage in Frozen, Chicago and Hamlet, and films Darkness Falls and London Road.
Then this year Anita won the Scene of the Year at the British Soap Awards following her surprise return to EastEnders for its 40th Anniversary.
She also met the King last month when she was honoured with an OBE for services to charitable fundraising and to philanthropy.
She remarked: “I kept so many secrets this year. I feel like 005.
“I had to keep the soap awards a secret because you’re not allowed to tell anybody, and the fact that I was going to go back on EastEnders.
“I had to keep the OBE a secret.
“The King is absolutely charming. Not that you expect him to be otherwise but it was such an added pleasure that he was so lovely. I completely forgot myself and said: ‘Oh how’s your health?’ and he said: ‘Oh, thank you.’”
