Sir Ken Dodd\'s widow Lady Anne Dodd says he\'ll "always be" with her.
The iconic comedian died a week ago at the age of 90 at his home in Liverpool - the same house in which he grew up - after being released from hospital following six weeks of treatment for a chest infection.
The entertainer had just married Anne, his partner of 40 years, last Friday (09.03.18), and she says he taught her that she\'ll always feel his presence beyond the grave.
Anne told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Ken had a wonderful life, I just didn\'t want it to end.
"He used to say to people who told him they have lost a loved one, \'you haven\'t lost them, they\'ll always be with you\', tapping his heart.
"And I keep telling myself that."
Anne has been left overwhelmed by the "outpouring of love" for Ken and the support she has received since her husband passed away.
She said: "Ken had more ideas and things to do I know. But the outpouring of love and admiration for Ken from the whole country has been overwhelming.
"There\'s a mountain of flowers outside the house, full of heartfelt messages. We\'ve had sackfuls of mail and all the cards are being opened.
"They include amazing messages and letters of comfort, which I shall be able to read properly when everything has settled down."
The \'Diddy Men\' creator was born the son of a coal merchant in 1927 in the Liverpool suburb of Knotty Ash.
Ken began a career as a comedian in 1954, working in music halls, and achieved national fame and popularity by the 60s.
His recording of \'Tears\', was the UK\'s third-best-selling single back then, rivalling The Beatles, and he made it into the Guinness Book of Records for telling 1,500 jokes in three and a half hours.
The comic was a regular face on television throughout the 70s and 80s and became an OBE in 1982.
He received his knighthood in the New Year Honours in 2017.
