Wendy Richard in "Are you being served?"

Following a long illness with Cancer, Wendy Richard has died aged 65. For many this will not be unexpected but it will be a huge loss to many thousands of fans around the country.

Her agent Kevin Francis said: “She was incredibly brave and retained her sense of humour right to the end.”

Last October, Richard revealed she had an aggressive, terminal form of cancer. Soon after that she married her long-term partner John Burns.

She will be remembered for her two biggest roles that of Pauline Fowler in BBC1′s huge hit Eastenders and Are you being served in which she played Miss Brahms, the English working man’s totty!

Presenter Dale Winton had known Richard for years.

“I’m very saddened to hear the news, she was a real fighter and actually a very kind and funny lady in her own right,” he said.

“My thoughts are with her family, she will be missed.”

1.    1965 Aged 22, joins the cast of soap The Newcomers

2.    1970-73 Stars in four episodes of Dad’s Army as Private Walker’s girlfriend, Shirley

3.    1972 Plays Miss Willing in Carry On Matron

4.    1972-85 Stars as Miss Brahms in the series Are You Being Served?

5.    1985-2006 Appears in more than 1,400 episodes of EastEnders as Pauline Fowler

6.    2008 Films her last TV role as Mrs Crump in Marple: A Pocket Full Of Rye

In 2000, Richard was awarded the MBE for services to television and in 2007 she was given a British Soap Award for Lifetime Achievement for her role in EastEnders.

She will be missed and is another big loss to the British entertainment industry.