BBC favourite Nicholas Ball died destitute and reportedly left nothing to his wife in his will, legal documents have shown. The EastEnders veteran passed away at the age of 78 last year following a short illness. Fans will remember him as the infamous Terry Bates in the long-running BBC soap and also held roles in Footballers’ Wives and Hazell.

But records show Ball, of Porchester Square, London, left his wife with nothing in his estate. A High Court document shows administration of the estate was granted to his wife Ayda Kay.

It reads: “The application has started that the gross value of the estate in the United Kingdom amounts to £0 and the new value amounts to £0.” The couple tied the knot back in 2019 after dating for more than 20 years, according to NeedToKnow. She revealed his death in June last year with an emotional statement.

She wrote: “It is with the heaviest and broken of hearts, that I share the loss of my beloved Nicky-Nicholas Ball.” Ball had previously been married to actress and psychologist Pamela Stephenson from 1978 to 1984. The pair ultimately parted ways and she went on to date comedian Billy Connolly.

Ball boasted a decorated acting career but reportedly struggled for parts after his private eye series Hazell came to an end. He had played a number of supporting roles including Z-Cars, Softly Softly: Task Force, The Young Ones, Bergerac, Tales of the Unexpected, and Holby City.

Director Keith English paid a touching tribute to him after his passing, saying: “Fabulous as star of hit TV show Hazell in the 1980s, Nick was a terrific actor – kind and generous.

“He starred in our short film Top Dog in 2001 in which he was great and we became life-long friends with him and his wife, Ayda Kay. Indeed, we were honoured when the pair of them asked if they could be married in our garden in 2019. A fabulous affair.

“One of our fondest memories was going to see Jerry Goldsmith play The Royal Albert Hall with him and his great friend Mel Smith. Mel had hired a box for the show.

“Bot men were known hell-raisers and, sure enough, when the four of us rolled up they were both fairly merry and proceeded to football chant: ‘There’s only one Jerry Goldsmith!’ between musical pieces to an uneven response from the rest of the auditorium.

“Nick was a loving husband, friend, and a wonderful actor. We enjoyed every minute of his company. Farewell and boy voyage.”