Didn't she do well! Bruce Forsyth leaves his widow £11.7million (but his six children will inherit nothing)
- Sir Bruce Forsyth left fortune to his widow Wilnelia but nothing to his children
- Move is thought to have come around in a bid to avoid paying inheritance tax
- He once said he thinks 'inheritance should go to your children' instead of taxman
The price is right: Sir Bruce avoided inheritance tax by leaving his fortune to Wilnelia, but nothing to his children
Nice to bequeath you, to bequeath you, nice…
Sir Bruce Forysth left almost £11.5 million to Wilnelia, the wife he was devoted to, The Mail on Sunday can reveal – but his son and five daughters will inherit nothing.
The move is believed to have been designed to thwart the taxman, as money passed from husband to wife is not subject to inheritance tax.
Sir Bruce himself once described the levy as ‘a bit over the top’, adding: ‘I think your inheritance should go to your children more than back to the country you’ve lived in.’
Probate records reveal the former Strictly Come Dancing host, whose showbiz career spanned more than 75 years, left £100,000 in trust to be split between his nine grandchildren when they reached the age of 21, and £20,000 each to two executors of his estate.
Everything else in his £11,718,242 estate, after funeral and legal expenses, went to 60-year-old Lady Wilnelia, the former Miss World he married in 1983.
Sir Bruce failed to leave anything to daughters Debbie, Julie and Laura from his 20-year marriage to first wife Penny Calvert, and daughters Charlotte and Louisa from his second marriage to his Generation Game assistant Anthea Redfern.
Jonathan Joseph ‘JJ’ Forsyth-Johnson, his son from his third marriage, also did not directly inherit anything in the will which was drawn up in 2005.
After Sir Bruce’s death at the age of 89 last August, his agent said that ‘all his children’ were with him when he passed away peacefully at his £4 million home in Virginia Water, Surrey.
By leaving almost his entire estate to his Puerto Rican-born wife, Sir Bruce avoided paying any inheritance tax. The legendary entertainer is pictured with Wilnelia, five daughters and son Jonathan Joseph 'JJ' Forsyth-Johnson
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Yet curiously, if Sir Bruce had died after Lady Wilnelia, the will would have massively favoured Jonathan.
He would have received 80 per cent of the residuary estate, with only 20 per cent shared between his five half-sisters.
By leaving almost his entire estate to his Puerto Rican-born wife, Sir Bruce avoided paying any inheritance tax.
A 40 per cent levy would have been due on anything over £325,000 which he did not leave to his spouse or charity.
The entertainer, who left school in Edmonton, North London, with no qualifications, made his BBC television debut on a talent show in 1939 when he was just 11
Sir Bruce met Wilnelia Merced when she was a fellow judge for the 1980 Miss World contest. Wilnelia is pictured launching a new range of candles at Fortnum & Masons in 2016
Sir Bruce’s estate would not have included any property owned jointly with his wife. This would likely have passed directly to her on his death, depending on how the deeds were drawn up.
The entertainer, who left school in Edmonton, North London, with no qualifications, made his BBC television debut on a talent show in 1939 when he was just 11.
He appeared on stage as Boy Bruce, The Mighty Atom, wearing a satin suit made by his mother and playing the accordion, ukulele and banjo.
After making his name on the variety hall circuit, his big break came when he was asked to host the TV show, Sunday Night At The London Palladium, in 1958.
Sir Bruce rose to become Britain’s highest-paid TV star by hosting hit game shows including The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and The Price is Right, and he presented Strictly Come Dancing until 2014.
He married first wife Penny, a dancer at London’s notorious Windmill Club, where Sir Bruce worked, in 1953.
They divorced in 1973 after he had a string of affairs, and he married Anthea Redfern the same year when she was aged 25. The couple divorced in 1979.
Sir Bruce met Wilnelia Merced when she was a fellow judge for the 1980 Miss World contest.
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