The family of TV funnyman Duncan Norvelle have become embroiled in a bitter rift with his girlfriend that has overshadowed plans to give him a ‘fitting send-off’, MailOnline can reveal.
The comedian, 66, known for his trademark ‘Chase me’ catchphrase and camp act, graced nearly every television screen in the country during his heyday in the 1980s before falling out of favour with TV bosses.
He died in December after contracting a chest infection and sepsis, following more than a decade of struggling with serious medical problems and poverty.
His funeral takes place today in Loughborough, Leicestershire, where he was born and raised but his mother Mary and other members of his family have been locked in a vicious war of words with his partner, Linda Trevallion.
At the centre of the row are claims by Mary and some of her family that Ms Treveallion and Duncan actually split up more than a year ago and were not even together at the time of his death – claims that his girlfriend denies.
But she remained as the executor of his will because he was too ill to change it giving her powers over his estate and funeral arrangements.
Angry family members claim that Ms Trevallion has ‘hijacked’ Duncan’s funeral and also organised a wake at Loughborough Golf Club to which they have not been invited.
In response they have organised their own wake in a local pub, which they insist will be a more ‘fitting’ occasion for all those that knew and loved Duncan.
Duncan Norvelle pictured with his partner Lynn Trevallion, who is said to be locked in a vicious war of words with his family
The comedian, known for his catchphrase ‘Chase me’, died in hospital surrounded by his loved ones after suffering from a chest infection and sepsis
At the centre of the row are claims that Ms Treveallion and Duncan actually split up more than a year ago and were not even together at the time of his death
A source told MailOnline: ‘They had split up and Duncan even confirmed this in a statement he put out on his Facebook page last year.
‘But Trevallion rushed to his death bed as she was still down on hospital records as his next of kin. She didn’t even tell Mary or his family that he was close to dying so that they could say goodbye.’
The source added: ‘She then announced to his family that she was the executor of Duncan’s will and has used that power to organise his funeral and other affairs how she wants.
‘Mary and the family have even been told by the funeral home that they need to ask Lynn for permission to do anything or see anything that she’s planned. His own mother has to ask his ex-girlfriend for a part in her own son’s funeral’! It’s just so wrong and it’s caused Mary a lot of heartache and upset.’
A relative said: ‘Those who really loved and cared for Duncan are having their own wake for him and everybody is invited. He would be turning in his own grave if he were in it yet. He loved his mum very much and would never have her treated this way.’
Grieving Ms Trevallion, 75, denied the claims and insisted that she and the TV star remained together until his death.
She said: ‘I am very upset by this. I will tell you more after the funeral is over, but it’s all lies. Duncan and I were very much together and we loved each other.’
She went on: ‘It’s true that he spent a lot of time in the hospital and was hardly home, but it was me that he wanted by his bedside when he died.
‘We played songs, and laughed a lot while he was in hospital. I really miss him. And I’m really hurt that people can say these kind of things about me and Duncan. We loved each other.’
Norvelle died at the age of 66 just 12 years after suffering a stroke which left half his body paralysed
Angry family members claim that Ms Trevallion has ‘hijacked’ Duncan’s funeral
A source told MailOnline: ‘They had split up and Duncan even confirmed this in a statement he put out on his Facebook page last year’
Norvelle rose to fame on the ITV variety show Saturday Royal in the early 1980s
Just days after his death, Ms Trevallion shared her heartbreak in an interview with MailOnline.
She told how she wiped his brow and held his hand at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire during the last days of his life – after requesting medical staff not to resuscitate following a year-long battle with a chronic lung condition.
Paying tribute to the comic once adored by millions of people, Lynn said: ‘Duncan was never a complainer, He accepted his life as it was after his stroke 12 years ago.
‘I never knew Duncan before his stroke or when he was in the best health, but he was a very loving man, kind and caring.’
She added: ‘We were together like husband and wife. I fell in love with the man, it made no difference about the stroke. I helped him, but he could do a lot for himself.’
She claimed that they spent the last 12 years living together in her two bedroomed home in Romford, Essex, which she bought for £225,000 in January 2012.
The row following Duncan’s death has also seen his children pitted against each other.
One of Mary’s staunchest backers in the dispute is Duncan’s eldest daughter Sophie 40, who was born after he had a relationship with her mother Trudie.
According to a relative, Sophie considered issuing legal proceedings to try and have Ms Trevallion’s name removed from Duncan’s will and as executor.
The relative said: ‘But she was told that her father would not be able to be laid to rest until any court case was resolved, which could take a long time, so she decided against it.’
But her half-sister Yasmin, 35 who was born when Duncan was married to his first wife and her mother Tina Fisher is backing Ms Trevallion.
She is estranged from Duncan’s family and is helping make the arrangements for the funeral and wake according to Ms Trevallion’s wishes.
A relative revealed that Yasmin also got married three weeks before Duncan’s death but did not invite him.
Duncan was familiar face on British TV in the 1980s and was known for his catchphrase ‘chase me!’ and camp humour
Duncan Norvelle’s terraced home in the Romford area of London where he lived towards the end of his life
Following his stroke, Duncan Norvelle defiantly said: ‘I saw a lot of stroke patients give up and not question what the doctors were saying to them but I was determined to get better and live my life’
The relative added: ‘It’s so sad that someone who was an uplifter and brought laughter to millions is now being laid to rest in this awful way. This is not what Duncan would have wanted at all. This should have been a celebration of his life but instead, it’s turned into a war.’
Tragically, this is the second son Mary, a retired postmistress has lost. Duncan’s brother Ian died of leukaemia aged 27.
Ms Trevallion, a widowed grandmother, told MailOnline that she met the comic at a comedy event in Blackpool in 2012.
Down on his luck with the millions he earned gone as his star faded, Duncan was in a wheelchair and living on disability benefits having been declared bankrupt.
A stroke he suffered in 2012 while preparing for summer season with Cannon and Ball left him paralysed down the left side of his body and was caused by a blood clot in his brain.
He was told it was unlikely that he would ever walk or talk properly again. But he fought back taking to the stage in a wheelchair or walking with the aid of a stick. He also bravely incorporated his health struggles into his act.
He continued to travel the country performing in pubs and small clubs while his sole mainstream TV appearance was an 80s special edition of Pointless Celebrities in 2019.
He also worked on cruise ships and earned extra cash recording personalised video messages for fans.
Duncan, who was also known for his impressions, was a regular on prime-time TV in the 1980’s after shooting to nationwide fame on ITV variety show Saturday Royal in the 1980s.
He went on to host the pilot of Blind Date and regularly appeared on popular entertainment programmes including Blankety Blank, 3-2-1, Surprise! Surprise! The Bob Monkhouse Show and the Keith Harris Show.
But battling ill health and like many performers of his generation, his star waned as so-called ‘alternative comedians’ broke into the mainstream.
