‘Very sick and sick’, Rolf Harris, a private investigator and author revealed to MailOnline.
The disgraced TV star, 93, struggles to speak or eat and has lived in near seclusion at his £5m home in Berkshire since being released from prison in 2017 for sex offences.
But who is Ralph Harris? How did Ralph Harris become famous? Who is his wife Alwen Hughes? Did they have any children together?
Read below for everything you need to know about Rolf Harris.
Ralph Harris and his wife Alwen Hughes have been married since 1958
Who is Alwen Hughes?
Alwen Hughes was born on December 26, 1931 in North London before growing up in Wales.
A jeweler and sculptor, she met Harris while the pair were studying at art school.
They would go on to marry in 1958, where she allegedly decided to have a poodle as her bride.
Now 91 years old, Alwen is in a wheelchair and has become seriously ill with Alzheimer’s disease.
Her husband has not spoken publicly since his release from prison in 2017 but released a statement in the book Ralph Harris: The Defense Team’s Special Investigator Reveals the Truth Behind the Trials by William Merritt.
Harris said, ‘I realize we live in a post-truth era and know that few will want to know what really happened during the three criminal trials I faced – it’s easy to condemn me and compare me to the likes of Saville and Glitter,’ ‘ said Harris.
‘I was found guilty in my first trial of a crime I did not commit. It’s not just my view, but the view of the Court of Appeal that overruled one of my beliefs. At the time of the appeal I had already served the prison sentence.
‘After the first trial I changed my legal team, and I was told that if the truth was out there, William (Merritt) would find it and he did.
His wife Alwen, 91, a jeweler and sculptor, is in a wheelchair due to Alzheimer’s disease but the couple, who married in 1958 and have one child, live together with round-the-clock care.
The evidence he found proved my innocence to the next two judges.
Had it not been for William’s investigation I would have been in prison for a crime I did not commit.
‘The injustice I feel is hard to put into words.’
Does Ralph Harris have children?
Harris and Hughes have one child, a daughter named Bindi, born on 10 March 1964.
Bindi dropped out of art school at 16, working in stores such as Miss Selfridges as well as working in hairdressers’ salons. At the age of 21, he enrolled at the University of Bristol to study fine art.
After graduation, Bindi began a relationship with Malcolm Cox, a struggling artist. The couple had a son, Marlon, born in 1996. After splitting with Cox, she would go on to marry fellow artist Craig Nichols in 2008.
When it came to her career, Bindi Harris decided to exploit similar to her father’s success, as she became an abstract artist.
Rolf Harris is pictured with his daughter Bindi in 1995. He would become an abstract artist.
Despite living in her father’s shadow, Bindi attended art school and went on to exhibit her works in various galleries.
He was troubled by the chemistry between Rolf and Andrea Kingston, a family friend who had moved into a converted boathouse on the property.
Bindi confided in her friend, who responded: ‘What on earth does she see in him? How dare he? Your father is a rightful b******.’
Shocked, Bindi asked her friend if Harris had ever touched her, to which she replied that he had abused her for over 16 years.
Bindi was so distressed by the revelation that she destroyed some of Harris’s paintings but remained in touch with him.
Rolf Harris (pictured arriving at Southwark Crown Court with daughter Bindi and niece Jenny in 2014) was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault
Is Ralph Harris still alive?
After serving three of his five-year and nine-month long prison term, Harris was released from prison on 19 May 2017. Harris celebrates his 93rd birthday on 30 March 2023.
Since his release from prison, Harris has lived in his hometown of Bray, Berkshire.
Daniel Burke, solicitor for the Harris family, told MailOnline that he had no contact with his immediate family.
He said he had not spoken to Rolf’s only daughter, Bindi, and had no instructions to prepare or issue a statement about her ill health.
Mr Merritt told MailOnline he saw Harris in late 2022 and the disgraced Australian was seriously ill.
He said: ‘Rolf is very ill. I could see him talking to me. He was with it, but he was obviously ill’.
Mr Merritt said Rolf had neck cancer and had serious health concerns, although he was ‘getting on with things’. Due to cancer, Rolf is said to ‘mumble’ when speaking and is difficult to understand.
Rolf Harris (pictured during the epidemic) can no longer speak or eat and requires round-the-clock care after being diagnosed with neck cancer.
Who is Ralph Harris?
Born in Australia, Rolf Harris rose to fame as an entertainer and became noted for using instruments such as the didgeridoo to enliven his performances.
He is also known for his television appearances, as well as his artistic work as a painter, in addition to releasing 30 studio albums during his musical career.
His single ‘Tie Me Down Kangaroo, Sport’ reached number one in Australia in 1960, while ‘Two Little Boys’ topped the UK and Ireland charts in 1969.
Credited with inventing the wobble board, Harris used the device to great success on his cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’, which reached the top ten of the UK charts in 1993.
Rolf Harris is pictured here with a dog at the RSPCA Animal Hospital in Putney, London
What did Ralph Harris do?
In March 2013, as part of a British police investigation into sexual abuse allegations known as Operation Yewtree, Harris was one of 12 people arrested for questioning over historic allegations of sex crimes.
The charges were not linked to crimes committed by Jimmy Saville, Harris maintained his innocence at the time and was subsequently bailed without charge.
However, in August 2013, he was arrested again as part of the operation, and convicted of nine counts of indecent assault dating back to the 1980s.
After going through a lengthy trial at Southwark Crown Court in 2014, Harris was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault and jailed for five years.
Harris served his sentence at HM Prison Stafford.
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