Dame Mary Berry has entered her ninth decade in style. Her 90th birthday was on March 24, and the festivities kicked off with a special family party in her hometown of Bath.
There was a particular 'rule' in place for her grandchildren to follow at the gathering, with Mary sharing that this was "the most touching party" of all that have been thrown in her honour.
The baking star and author's birthday year continues, with the release of her book, Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes, and the currently airing six-part BBC television show, Mary at 90: A Lifetime of Cooking, celebrating her milestone birthday and her long career in food.
Mary has a lot to reflect on, revealing another standout moment from her birthday celebrations, in a recent issue of Sainsbury's Magazine - and it involves her husband, 93-year-old Paul Hunnings, nearly reducing her to tears.
The tear-inducing moment happened when Mary appeared on The One Show as part of her birthday festivities. "Somehow, they’d managed to secretly interview my husband in our home," she shares, adding, "Which was surprising because I am always around – and also, he’s a quiet man."
Sitting on The One Show sofa, Mary is visibly shocked when presenter Alex Jones reveals the touching message they've procured from her husband. "My Paul?" she questions, looking startled when told he has something to tell her.
Paul appears on a screen, stroking the couple's dog, Darcey. "Happy birthday love," he says, adding, "You've done very well - that comes from both me, and Darcey."
"We look forward to many more happy years together. God bless," he concludes. In response to the unexpected message, Mary recalls, "I was sitting next to Claudia Winkleman, and I thought to myself: 'Hold on to her… you are not going to cry!'"
The couple have been married for 59 years, and the next big celebration in their household will be their diamond anniversary next year.
In reflecting on both of them advancing in years, Mary has also revealed aspects of their traditional marriage.
In conversation with Radio Times, Mary says, "I look after him, and it’s a great pleasure." She adds, "That’s what I promised to do. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer. And we are very happy in our dotage."
Sharing her secrets to living longer, the baking guru says part of that is spending time with her husband playing croquet together. "My husband is better than me," Mary told Saga Magazine of their shared enjoyment of croquet.
"He’s 93 but he decided to play croquet, so I said I’d play too. I’m not as good as him, but it’s something we do together, which is great," Mary concludes.
