Paul Burrell reveals Dean Sullivan’s and Princess Diana had been pals

Paul Burrell revealed after Dean Sullivan’s funeral on Tuesday that the Brookside star and Diana, Princess of Wales, had a budding friendship and ‘made her chuckle’.

The former Royal butler, 65, mentioned Diana was a ‘fan’ of the star’s hit tv programme, which final aired 20 years in the past, and made a secret go to to the set.

Late actor Dean, identified to tens of millions as drug supplier Jimmy Corkhill in Channel 4 cleaning soap opera Brookside, died final month on the age of 68 after battling prostate most cancers.

Paul defined that the princess’s secret go to was the place she met Paul and began their blossoming friendship, which led to telephone calls to the palace.

He mentioned: ‘They struck up a friendship. I used to be a conductor of that friendship and when the princess handed, Dean got here to me to mourn with me for the princess.’

He described Sullivan as a ‘heat, light and type individual’.

He added: ‘I’m right here to signify not solely myself however the princess, above, as a result of she’d need me to be right here.

‘I believe it is acceptable I come to say goodbye to Dean. We’ll miss him.’

Speaking of when the 2 would have calls to and from the palace, Paul mentioned: ‘I’d put the decision by and I’d take heed to all of the laughter upstairs.

‘He made her chuckle.’

He mentioned Diana despatched Sullivan, who he described as a ‘nice royalist’, a signed photograph of herself and wrote to him many instances.

He added: ‘I believe he cherished that relationship along with her.’

Dean publicly confirmed he was dwelling with the sickness in May this 12 months – 5 years after his unique prognosis.

Ahead of the 1pm service at Our Lady And St Nicholas, pictures of the cleaning soap star had been seen on screens contained in the parish.

An order of service confirmed, a current photograph of Dean and was titled ‘In thanksgiving for the lifetime of Dean Sullivan.’

The service was adopted by a personal cremation.

A funeral discover printed within the Liverpool Echo requested for donations to be made to Prostate Cancer UK.

Paul was in attendance after claiming that Brookside was Princess Diana’s favorite TV programme.

He instructed Digital Spy: ‘ She went to the set of Brookside and acquired to know among the forged very properly, particularly Dean. He turned a good friend, who she usually telephoned.’

Dean had been recognized with prostate most cancers in 2018 and spoke in 2019 about his therapy and prognosis to the Mirror.

A press release from Dean’s household confirmed the unhappy information of his demise on Thursday. ‘It is with deep disappointment we should let you know that actor Dean Sullivan handed away on twenty ninth November 2023 peacefully following a brief sickness.

‘To tens of millions he was and really a lot nonetheless is remembered as ‘Jimmy’, to household and pals he was ‘Dino’. Dean’s household desires to thank Arrowe Park Hospital for his or her unwavering and constant assist.’

‘We ask that you simply respect their privateness of their time of grief,’ learn the message from Hamilton Management and his household.

Dean was scheduled to seem in a Southport manufacturing of Jack And The Beanstalk from December 7, however pulled out on November 17 resulting from ‘unexpected circumstances.’

The former Brookside actor was recognized with prostate most cancers in 2018 and was lastly discharged by his guide final 12 months after present process radiotherapy therapy.

Looking again on his battle with the illness in August, Dean instructed how he put himself ‘within the fingers of destiny’ throughout his ailing well being and tried to proceed dwelling his life.

He instructed the Liverpool Echo: ‘The means I handled it was that I simply form of put myself within the fingers of destiny. If this was my time, then this was my time so I used to be fairly philosophical about it actually.

‘I do know that folks would fear themselves into an early grave because it had been however I’m not that form of individual, I attempt to preserve constructive about issues and I simply acquired on with my life.’

Liverpool-born Dean instructed how he wasn’t displaying many of the signs of prostate most cancers apart from a decreased circulate.

However, he felt like one thing wasn’t proper and went to the physician, who simply instructed him to regulate it, however he returned to a different physician a number of weeks later.

He mentioned: ‘If I’d have listened to the primary physician, it may need been a unique story so all the time belief your intestine, 11 instances out of 10, you are proper, we have nonetheless acquired that battle or flight intuition.’

The Atkinson Theatre, the place he was anticipated to tread the boards for a 3 week run, confirmed his departure in a tweet shortly after his withdrawal.

They wrote: ‘There has been a change to the line-up for this 12 months’s Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime.

‘Dean Sullivan will not be performing within the position of Fleshcreep, as beforehand marketed and the position will now be performed by Mark Paterson.’

The actor admitted early detection was key to his profitable radiotherapy therapy and urged different folks to get checked if they’re involved.

In 2019, Dean opened up about his ‘shell shock’ most cancers prognosis, admitting he by no means thought he had a difficulty together with his prostate as he wasn’t displaying lots of the typical signs.

He instructed The Mirror on the time: ‘I keep in mind being a bit shell shocked actually, as a result of though we all know lately that one in three of us can be recognized with most cancers of some type, you by no means assume will probably be you.’

Dean admitted he did not instantly share the information together with his family members or pals as a result of he is not the kind of individual to ‘elicit’ assist from their buddies.

He saved the information to some shut family and friends members, explaining: ‘You’re the one dwelling with it and coping with it and my means of coping with it was to not let or not it’s a serious a part of my life.’

He added: ‘Also, there’s the state of affairs while you assume ‘I do not need to inform this story once more’, so solely my closest household and pals knew. It was a kind of once I thought ‘simply get on with it and what can be can be’.’

Dean, from Liverpool, joined Brookside in 1986, 4 years after its launch and remained on the cleaning soap till it was axed in 2003.

He was on the centre of lots of the cleaning soap’s most memorable storylines- together with the second Jimmy found the physique of villain Trevor Jordache beneath a patio two years after his homicide.

Dean received two British Soap Awards throughout his time on the present – together with a particular recognition award and held the document of filming extra episodes than some other actor on the present.

He additionally appeared in BBC’s Doctors, ITV’s The Royal and ITV’s Crime Stories. Among his most up-to-date roles was an look in 2022 Netflix brief movie Forgotten Word.

The actor additionally carried out on stage, enjoying Scullery within the North West premiere of Jim Cartwright’s Road in Bolton, and starring in a one-man monologue tour of Chip In The Sugar by Alan Bennett.

Dean made his remaining TV look on Celebrity Antique Road Trip in June 2023.

The new Antique Road Trip episode noticed him go face to face in opposition to Heartbeat icon Tricia Penrose on the present as they traveled throughout the UK with antiques consultants in the hunt for treasures earlier than competing to take advantage of cash at an public sale.

The BBC present confirmed that they had permission from Dean’s household to air the episode.

Taking to X, previously referred to as Twitter, they penned: ‘We had been extremely unhappy to listen to final week of the demise of Dean Sullivan, identified for his iconic efficiency as Jimmy Corkhill in Brookside.

‘With the blessing of his household, the episode we recorded with Dean and his long-time good friend @triciapenrose will air this night as deliberate.’ They later added: ‘We hope you benefit from the programme, and our ideas are with Dean’s household and pals at the moment.’