Dame Prue Leith opens up about the deaths of her first husband and brother

Dame Prue Leith’s first husband asked doctors if he could have “a bit of assistance” with dying, The Great British Bake Off host has revealed.

The chef and TV presenter, 81, who is in favour of assisted dying, opened up about the deaths of Rayne Kruger and her brother.

She said Mr Kruger, who died from emphysema in 2002, had wanted to go peacefully.

The couple were married for almost 30 years before the author’s death, aged 80.

Speaking to RTE One, Leith said shortly before his death her husband had asked if he could be allowed to die “with a bit of assistance, an extra dose of morphine” with her at his side.

She said that peaceful deaths do not often occur in hospital, adding “if it does the patient is very lucky”.

Leith had a 13-year affair with Kruger, while he was married to her mother’s best friend, before they eventually married and had a son, Daniel, and adopted a daughter, Li-Da, from Cambodia.

She married fashion designer John Playfair in 2016.

Speaking about her brother, who had bone cancer, she continued: “In the end, he died because he refused to take anymore antibiotics and he could do that, that was within his power, but that meant he got pneumonia.

“For the last five days of David’s life, he was at home… and his wife felt dreadful because she sat there praying that he would die.”

Leith believes assisted dying should be available to everyone as long as the person has just six months to live and has the proper mental capacity to make the decision.