John Le Mesurier's ex-wife discusses affair with Tony Hancock

Comedian Tony Hancock's life ended in 1968 at the age of just 44 when he committed suicide with an overdose of drink and drugs in a rented flat in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. His dad death thousands of miles from home was a tragic end for a man who was one of the UK's most successul and loved comedy stars, but was eerily in line with his troubled character and the darkness which marred his glittering career and personal life. At the time of his death his career had been on the decline, he had gone through a second divorce and he had conducted a public affair with beloved Dad's Army star John Le Mesurier's wife .

Tony left school at the age of 14 and made his stage debut in 1940 at the age of just 16 in the hall of the Church of the Sacred Heart on Richmond Hill billed as "Anthony Hancock - The Confidential Comic". The war interrupted his career when he joined the RAF Regiment in 1942. Surprisingly he failed auditions for the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) and instead he joined the Gang Shows, travelling around Europe entertaining troops.

After the war ended his career ascent was rapid. He got his big break in 1951 when he joined the cast of popular radio show Educating Archie. That same year, he began to make regular appearances on the BBC 's light entertainment show Kaleidoscope. Just three years later in 1954, he was given his own eponymous BBC radio show, the now iconic Hancock's Half Hour. The show was an instant hit and ran for seven years and over a hundred episodes in its radio form.

Two years later in 1956, the equally successful BBC television series began which ran concurently. Written by the legendary duo Ray Galton and Alan Simpson his show could clear the streets as people gathered to watch or listen and he was the first star to receive £1,000 for a half hour episode - about £43,790 in today's money.

His personal life also appeared happy. He married Lanvin model Cicely Romanis in June 1950 after a brief courtship. However by the turn of the decade things would start to go downhill for the comedy star.

In early 1960, he gave a half-hour in-depth interview on the BBC 's Face to Face. He answered the questions frankly and honestly leading his brother Roger, to say: "It was the biggest mistake he ever made. I think it all started from that really. ... Self-analysis – that was his killer."

A year later while returning home from a recording he was involved in a car accident with his wife and was thrown through the windscreen. Although he was not badly hurt, he suffered a concussion and was unable to learn his lines for his legendary episode The Blood Donor, which was the next show due to be recorded. This resulted in the beginning of reliance on telepromters as he came to rely on them instead of learning scripts whenever he had career difficulties.

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In October 1961 he parted ways with his agent Beryl Vertue and the writing partnership of Galton and Simpson.This marked the beginning of a professional decline. A move to ATV in 1962 with different writers, saw his new show pitted against Galston and Simpson's new offering for the BBC Steptoe and Son, and he came out worst with the critics.

His personal life was also faltering. He had struck up an affair with his publicist Freddie Ross and divorced Cicely in 1965 to marry her. During this period he was also involved with Joan Le Mesurier, who was the new wife of Dad's Army star John Le Mesurier, his best friend and a regular supporting actor from his television series. Joan described the relationship in her book Lady Don't Fall Backwards claiming her husband forgave the affair saying: "If it had been anyone else he would not have understood it, but with Tony Hancock it made sense". Tony's marriage didn't last and wife Freddie would be granted a decree nisi a few days before his suicide.

While he continued to make regular appearances on British television until 1967 his alcoholism was seriously affecting his performances.