Her brother admits too much emphasis on her weight

Victoria Wood’s brother has put his biography of the comedian on hold after criticism he was focussing too much on her ‘fat and unhappy’ teenage years.

Chris Foote Wood had faced a storm of protest after reports broke about his ‘warts and all’ book, which threatened to create a family rift.

The 75-year-old said his biography would draw on hurtful comments their father made in a diary, including that Victoria was ‘fatter than ever and has more spots’ and ‘very glum and morose’.

But now he has postponed publication for a rewrite, after admitting he had ‘given too much emphasis to Victoria's early problems with her weight’.

He said: ‘I am revising the book to ensure that this aspect of her life is reduced and put in its proper context.’

But he insisted: ‘I cannot and will not leave it out altogether as it is an essential part of Victoria's story. She wanted the public to know about her early problems with her weight, and she spoke of them at length in some very candid press interviews.’

Earlier this week, Foote-Wood defended his book, Victoria Wood Comedy Genius - Her Life And Work, which had been due to be published by the tiny Memoir Club at the end of the month.

He said:  When I write someone’s life story, it has to be "warts and all". If I had left it out, it would have been a falsehood. I admire Vic all the more because she overcame an unhappy teenage and had years of struggle before finally achieving her well-deserved fame. 

‘To leave out Vic's sad teenage years would have been a travesty. Everything in my book is true: if you find that unpalatable, I'm sorry. Just don't buy it.’

‘The internet trolls have already been at work, accusing me of "cashing in" on Vic’s name, even though I said at the outset that ALL the royalties I get from this book I will donate to Vic’s charities. 

Wood’s children with magician Geoffrey Durham have distanced themselves from the publication,  as they are backing an official biography

A spokesman: ‘This is the first Grace and Henry have heard about Mr Foote Wood's book, based on Victoria's father's diaries.

‘Mr Foote Wood has not contacted them to discuss it or make them aware of his plans.

‘There will be an official Victoria Wood biography, which has Grace and Henry's blessing, published next year.’

Wood was previously the subject of a 2003 unauthorised biography by Neil Brandwood, which was rushed into a reissue after her death in April aged 62, with Penguin Random House announcing the news the very day after she died.

Published: 6 Oct 2016