Incredible video of Haydn Gwynne performing Ladies Who Lunch just months before she died becomes massive online hit following The Windsors star’s cancer death
A video of the late Haydn Gwynne performing a rendition of Ladies Who Lunch just months before her death has gone viral online.
The actress, who starred as Queen Camilla in The Windsors and shot to fame in 90s sitcom Drop The Dead Donkey, performed in a preview of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, which hit the West End last month.
The clip, shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows the actress performing in an Old Friends Gala Premiere in May 2022.
The production was delayed by several days last month after the star of stage and screen, who received Olivier and Tony nominations for her turn in Billy Elliot The Musical, withdrew from the show due to ‘personal circumstances’.
At the time, the show’s Producer Cameron Mackintosh paid tribute to her ‘unforgettable performance’, which has now racked up half a million views online.
The footage shows Gwynne in the preview performance of the show back in May 2022
The clip, which has been shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, has been viewed half a million times
People online have praised the late actress for her breath-taking performance
‘Matthew Bourne and I were naturally very distressed, along with our brilliant cast headed by Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, to learn that Haydn Gwynne must suddenly withdraw from the production, for the immediate future at least’, he said.
‘Haydn gave an unforgettable performance of ‘Ladies Who Lunch’ during the Old Friends Gala Premiere in May 2022 and has been an integral part of this very close-knit company ever since.
‘Haydn will be very much missed and we all send her our love’.
Gwynne died aged 66 yesterday, surrounded by her close family and friends, according to her representatives, after a recent cancer diagnosis.
A statement from Gwynne’s representatives said: ‘It is with great sadness we are sharing with you that, following her recent diagnosis with cancer, the star of stage and screen Haydn Gwynne died in hospital in the small hours of Friday 20 October, surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends.
‘We would like to thank the staff and teams at the Royal Marsden and Brompton Hospitals for their wonderful care over the last few weeks’.
Actress Haydn Gwynne – known for her stints in Drop The Dead Donkey and The Windsors – has died aged 66
Gwynne is seen back row second from left with fellow cast members in Drop the Dead Donkey
Haydn Gywnn performs the finale of the Opening Night and World Premiere of ‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’ at the Victoria Palace in London 2005
She was also known for playing Camilla in The Windsors, which aired for a Coronation special in May
Gwynne’s last appearance in the West End was when she starred as character Pam Lee – thought to be based off the presenter Prue Leith – in The Great British Bake Off Musical in March
Gwynne died aged 66 yesterday, surrounded by her close family and friends, according to her representatives, after a recent cancer diagnosis
Gwynne’s last appearance in the West End was when she starred as character Pam Lee – thought to be based off the presenter Prue Leith – in The Great British Bake Off Musical in March.
READ MORE: Helen Mirren leads tributes to Haydn Gwynne after actress who played Queen Camilla in The Windsors died aged 66 after short cancer battle: ‘We danced a delicate dance together’
Pictured: Helen Mirren and Haydn Gwynne play at the ‘The Audience’ press night and after party in 2013
People online have been reacting to the footage of her performance in May 2022, and praising her versatility as an actress.
‘Great actress. So versatile. A great body of work which we can fortunately enjoy’, one said.
‘She was such a brilliant versatile actress’, another added. ‘I loved her in everything I was fortunate to see her. I have shed a tear for her today. Gone far too soon’.
And another said they never knew the late actress could ‘knock it out of the park like that’.
Elsewhere, figures from the world of showbusiness paid tribute to Gwynne including Dame Helen Mirren who shared the stage with her in the play The Audience.
‘Haydn was a delight as a person and a consummate dedicated actress.
‘I had the huge pleasure of sharing the stage with her, in the play The Audience where, much like the original characters (Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher) we danced a delicate dance together’, Mirren, aged 78, said.
‘She was both funny and serious at the same time, a brilliant balancing act that her whole career exemplified. We will miss her very much.’
Actor Samuel West said: ‘This is a terrible loss. One of the nicest and one of the best.’ Writer Jack Thorne called her a ‘wonderful performer’, adding that she was the ‘kindest, loveliest soul.’
And James Dreyfus, who starred alongside Rowan Atkinson in 1990s sitcom The Thin Blue Line, said: ‘Terribly sad to hear of the death of Haydn Gwynne. A wonderful actress. Far too young.’
Born in Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, Gwynne’s father Pat was a printer who ran his own business.
As a child, Gwynne was kicked out of the Brownies for insubordination but excelled at school, where she performed well academically and also became the junior county tennis champion.
Gwynne had long wanted to be an actress but spent her early adult life in Rome teaching English.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2021, Gwynne said the one thing she has learned from life is to do ‘the thing that makes you joyful’.
Her role as Dr Joanna Graham in Peak Practice also propelled her to fame. Pictured left to right – Gary Mavers, Christian Burgess, Haydn Gwynne, Joseph Millson and Sarah Parish
Gwynne also featured in Netflix series The Crown, where she portrayed royal aide Lady Susan Hussey, who was engulfed in a ‘racism’ row last year
She first made her name in 1990 when she starred as icy Alex Pates in the comedy Drop The Dead Donkey, which also earned her a Bafta TV nomination in 1992
Although she was worried about how her parents might react, at age 25 she returned home to pursue her dream.
READ MORE: The day that changed my life, Haydn Gwynne: The actress, 58, on the flash of enlightenment that made her finally follow her dream
She first made her name in 1990 when she starred as icy Alex Pates in the comedy Drop The Dead Donkey, which also earned her a Bafta TV nomination in 1992.
Her role as Dr Joanna Graham in Peak Practice also propelled her to fame.
The actress also had a successful career on stage and received two Olivier Award nods for her performance in West End productions of City Of Angels and Billy Elliot The Musical.
She secured two further nominations for her roles in The Threepenny Opera and Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown.
Gwynne also featured in Netflix series The Crown, where she portrayed royal aide Lady Susan Hussey, who was engulfed in a ‘racism’ row last year.
Her portrayal of the Queen Consort in recent years is believed to have impressed a number of senior royals, with many at the Palace regarding The Windsors as something of a cult programme. It has been reported that Queen Camilla herself has watched the satirical show in the past.
The actress had recently separated from her partner, Jason Phipps, a Jungian psychoanalyst. The pair remained friends and shared two sons together, Orlando and Harrison.
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