Dame Diana Rigg was "not scared" of dying

The Elbow frontman reflected: "For me it was an important time, as Rachael’s mum came to live with us in March and died in the September.

“It was sad but also incredibly uplifting. You hear the cliche about it being a privilege to spend the last days with someone but it really was.

“I made a great friend in Diana. We were mates. Rachael said the theatres got dark when her mum got ill. Diana was so in love with life, there was no anguish with her. She was so pragmatic and so brave. She’d say, ‘I’ve had a wonderful time and I’m not scared’."

And Guy praised Rachael for juggling caring for her mother and their four-year-old son Jack while encouraging him to keep working with his band.

He added to The Sun newspaper: "My wife was a f***ing miracle, just incredible. She had to be Jack’s mum, a daughter and a 24-hour nurse, having to remember the drug regime at the same time as being buoyant and a wonderful mum.

"I married a bloody angel, as she pushed me to still work. So we started making Elbow lockdown videos. When I look at them now, you can see how troubled I am in my face. I look ravaged. And I think it was just that kind of, ‘F****** hell, what’s going on?’ feeling.”

The 47-year-old singer wrote 'What Am I Without You', the final track on Elbow's new album 'Flying Dream 1', in honour of his wife.

He said: "It’s bruised, it’s wistful and full of soul. It sounds like I’m talking to Jack, saying, ‘What am I on the Earth for if not to put you to bed?’

“I was writing about Rachael and her looking after her mum. It says how I’ve been watching her walk on water lately, as she worked miracles keeping us all together and keeping us working.

"'Flying Dream 1' is a happy record by great big striving yards. There’s nothing remorseful or dull about it. But it’s still very mellow. And then right at the end, there’s a huge anthem of love.”