4:49pm Wednesday 17th February 2010
By Nazia Parveen
HE PULLS no punches in his acerbic restaurant reviews, but Michael Winner was reduced to tears by a Lancashire family.
Justine Forrest, from Longridge, was chosen to appear on a new TV show, Michael Winner’s Dining Stars.
The inspiring story of the 39-year-old from Preston Road, who lost 14 stone in 18 months, made the former film director cry.
Justine, who lives with her husband, Chris, 40, a joiner, and has three children, Millie, 13, who has cerebral palsy, Christopher, nine, who was born with half a heart, and daughter Alex, 12.
The part-time nursery assistant said: “He was lovely and compassionate towards the children as their medical difficulties really touched him as he had also had some medical issues in the past.
"He was the perfect gentlemen.”
Justine cooked for Winner during his visit for the show, which begins on ITV1 on February 26.
She said: “He did get a little critical at some points but most of the time he was extremely kind and caring.”
Winner, who once battled a bacterial infection from food poisoning, told how he had been moved by the family’s plight.
He said: “They’ve had one child on death’s door even to this day, they've got a daughter who had a stroke when she was very young.
“I was in hospital for seven months on morphine, so I know the tragedy of ill health and this lady has put up with it throughout the lives of these two children, with extraordinary fortitude and I think you have to be moved.”
Following the filming, the 75-year-old invited the family, who are keen Burnley FC fans, to his mansion in Kensington and paid for them to have a meal at top London restaurants, The Wolseley.
Justine said: “He rang us up and we told him that we were going to a Burnley match in Reading and he said why don’t you pop round for a brew. His house was beautiful.”
She added: “It has been a very emotional six months and I want to say thank you to Michael for making us feel really special.”
During the filming last year, Winner also visited The Duke William pub in Longridge and gave the pub a scathing review in his Sunday newspaper column.
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