Johnnie Walker’s widow, Tiggy, has spoken candidly about the painful final years of her marriage, admitting she “hated being his carer” as the legendary BBC DJ battled a terminal respiratory disease.
Walker, best known for presenting Sounds Of The 70s and The Rock Show, was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2019. He passed away on New Year’s Eve 2024, aged 79, just two months after stepping away from his 58-year broadcasting career.
Tiggy, his third wife and partner of 23 years, revealed to The Sunday Times that their relationship was marked by deep turbulence — including infidelity, a cancelled wedding, both partners’ battles with cancer, and even an unproven allegation of sexual assault.
“Someone recently asked me if I was glad I married Johnnie. I am now, because I’ve come out the other side — but it was a heck of a journey,” she explained. “Our first five years together were b****y awful. I don’t know why I stayed. If I’d known what life was going to be like with him, I’d have run.”
The couple first met in 2001 at a Soho club. At the time, Tiggy was producing ads for major brands, while Johnnie had just returned from rehab following his suspension from Radio 2. Three months into their romance, he confessed to a one-night stand with an ex-girlfriend — a revelation Tiggy says sent her into menopause overnight.
Despite humiliation and heartbreak — including Johnnie cancelling their first wedding — Tiggy admitted she was “hook, line and sinker in love” and always forgave him. She recalled throwing her wedding ring at him several times during their marriage, while also fighting her own battle with breast cancer.
In his final year, Walker’s condition worsened dramatically. Tiggy described the moment as if “he fell off a cliff,” saying he hadn’t left their Dorset home for nearly a year before his death. On his last broadcast, he signed off with a message that now feels haunting: “Walk into the future with our heads held high, and happiness in our hearts.”
Now, Tiggy says she hopes to restart her career and perhaps find love again — but adds she never wants to be put “in a situation where I have to forgive somebody again.”
She also revealed she was sometimes treated coldly in celebrity circles, recalling how Sharon Osbourne once looked her “up and down like a piece of shit” when she dared to compliment her at an Elton John tribute.
