In a candid conversation with her daughter Molly Wilkinson, Hilary Whitehall shared fears around the advanced age of her celebrity husband, Michael Whitehall, on the latest celebrity episode of the Mail’s ‘The Apple & The Tree’ podcast.

The podcast, hosted by the Reverend Richard Coles, pits parents against their adult children to ask questions about their shared family history they’ve always wanted answered.

This week’s episode features the Whitehalls, with matriarch Hilary Whitehall, 64, and daughter Molly Wilkinson, 36, spilling the secrets of entertainers Michael and Jack Whitehall.

Hilary is 21 years younger than her husband Michael, 85, the co-star of the hit Netflix comedy series ‘Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father’.

‘I have been fixated on dad’s age – how long will have him’, Molly revealed to her mother.

‘Having helped with your parents, sadly grandpa had Alzheimers and grandma had dementia – once that journey starts, that person is essentially gone, even if they’re physically there. I am just so conscious of it with Dad.

Hilary replied: ‘He’s in quite good shape – Michael’s short-term memory isn’t great, but I think that would come under the heading of wear and tear.

This week's episode of 'The Apple & The Tree' features the Whitehalls, with matriarch Hilary Whitehall, 64, and daughter Molly Wilkinson, 36, spilling the secrets of entertainers Michael and Jack Whitehall. Listen here

Hilary Whitehall: 'Put Michael in front of a microphone or on a stage, and he's white-hot.' Listen here

Hilary Whitehall: ‘Put Michael in front of a microphone or on a stage, and he’s white-hot.’ Listen here

Hilary is 21 years younger than her husband Michael, 85, the co-star of the hit Netflix comedy series 'Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father'

Hilary is 21 years younger than her husband Michael, 85, the co-star of the hit Netflix comedy series ‘Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father’

‘Actually, put him in front of a microphone or on a stage and he’s white-hot. Still, having been on that dementia journey with your grandfather – I found it very distressing.

‘I had 17 years of caring for my elderly parents. That’s fine, it’s what you do in families. But I am very aware that I am also married to someone much older, and I will probably be catapulted into doing it for my husband sooner than I thought.

‘Definitely physically: there are one or two slowdowns with Michael. Trying to get him to walk the dog, he’s always back in a nanosecond.’

Molly said while she and dad Micheal have ‘always been close’, she’s been recently working harder to spend as much time with him as possible.

‘I hope he would say that we’re all amazing with him’, Molly said.

‘We spend quality time together at every opportunity. I’ll see Dad on a Sunday and then the next Thursday he’ll come in and say, ‘I haven’t seen you for a while.’ I’ll be like Dad, I saw you on Sunday!

‘My husband, Toby, will have heard the conversation and he’ll tell me – I don’t think there’s anyone I see more in this world than your parents.’

Hilary then reminisced about Micheal as a father from when she was pregnant with her firstborn, comedian Jack Whitehall.

‘I was convinced that Jack was going to be a girl, to the point that I called him Daisy’, Hilary remembered.

‘I remember Nigel Havers coming to stay with us for the weekend when I was heavily pregnant and he and your father spent the entire time planting our whole garden full of daisies.

‘Then this socking great boy appeared! At least he was serenaded into this world with flowers.’

You can listen to the full episode of ‘The Apple & The Tree’ featuring the Whitehalls now, wherever you get your podcasts.

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