Famous TV chef died alone and penniless after being sacked by BBC after major downfall

Fanny Cradock was the original celebrity chef who taught a generation of Brits to cook. But when she died alone and penniless, the industry she once ruled turned its back She died in 1994, aged 85, after suffering a stroke, living in a 'filthy, tiny flat" (Image: Getty)

Fanny Cradock was once Britain's undisputed culinary monarch - theatrical, intimidating, and utterly commanding. ‌

Yet decades after she dominated BBC screens draped in evening gowns and pearls, the pioneering celebrity chef passed away destitute, isolated in a squalid bedsit, and abandoned by the very industry she had once ruled. ‌

Armed with her signature hectoring tone and an arsenal of flowing chiffon, Fanny became television's first genuine kitchen sensation. ‌

She whipped up flambéed calf brains a