A popular former actor has been charged with murder after his severely disabled wife was found dead at their home.

Stuart Mungall, 70, was due to appear at the Old Bailey earlier today accused of killing his 69-year-old wife, Joan, at their home in affluent Hendham Road, Tooting.

It is understood that Mrs Mungall, who had also been an actor and was wheelchair-bound, had been battling Parkinson’s disease.

The Mungalls, who owned the now boarded-up Patio garden centre, in Tooting Bec Road, were this week described as a community-minded couple - but one neighbour told the Wandsworth Guardian Mrs Mungall had not been seen in a “long time” because she was so ill, adding: “She spent most of the time in the house.”

A friend, who did not want to be named, said: “They touched so many people's lives. Everyone who knows them says they're devoted to each other.

“But the last year was quite difficult for them because of Joan's worsening health.”

Mr Mungall - the star of the original Yorkie bar adverts - was charged with the murder of his wife on Saturday after she was found dead at the couple’s Hendham Road home by emergency services the previous day.

He appeared via videolink at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court on Monday looking tired and gaunt as he sat next to his solicitor in an interview room in Sutton police station.

Mr Mungall - who wore glasses, a white t-shirt and black jumper - spoke only to confirm his name age and address. District Judge Tanweer Ikram committed the case to the Old Bailey on March 14 but Mungall was also required to appear at the Old Bailey within 48 hours.

The Mungalls are thought to have given up theatre and TV work to run a garden centre in Battersea before relocating to Tooting. In 2008 the pair hosted the launch of a batch of Chateau Tooting - made from grapes grown in gardens across the borough.

However, friends have suggested they eventually sold the business because of Mrs Mungall’s worsening health.

A former customer said: “The Mungalls were at the centre of the community. We all knew them, and that’s quite unusual in London.

“It was always busy at the nursery and they were always up for a chat. We felt sad when they had to close - but we knew it was because she was so ill.”

On Sunday, police said a post mortem examination into Mrs Mungall's death proved inconclusive and further tests were being carried out.

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