Marcus Gilbert dead: Riders actor dies two years after finding love with co-star

Riders star Marcus Gilbert has died at the age of 67 following a three-year battle with throat cancer.

The actor, who played the original version of dashing Rupert Campbell-Black in the 1993 TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Riders, died at the weekend. He is survived by his two children, son Maxi and daughter Aaliya.

Marcus had been in a relationship with fellow actor Lysette Anthony, with whom he’d worked several decades earlier. A fan site for the heart-throb star shared the sad news on Facebook with a statement which read: “Today we have heard the very sad news that Marcus lost his battle against cancer on Sunday 11th January 2026.

“We, along with his many fans worldwide, will mourn his loss, and remember the joy he gave us on screen, and in person. RIP Marcus.”

The actor’s daughter Aaliya, a junior doctor, revealed in 2020 that her father had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the same time as his doctor wife of 28 years, Homaa, was battling pancreatic cancer. Homaa died the same year.

Fans left tributes on the site, with one saying: “Gone home, in the arms of the angels and Homaa. Oh my goodness. RIP Marcus. Such sad news.”

His role as Ancelyn in the Doctor Who episode Battlefield, led the programme’s showrunner Russell T Davies to pay tribute himself, writing: “Oh, that’s sad news.”

His actor pal Toby Hadoke, wrote: “Dashing, charming, and a strong actor with a bit of a twinkle. Very sorry to learn of the death, too young, of Marcus Gilbert with whom I had a lovely time in Liverpool about a decade ago.”

Saying he’d been great in Doctor Who’s Battlefield and also Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness, Toby added: “He also told me how much he earned from being part of the second Gold Blend saga of commercials : eye watering! Lovely chap: wore his attributes lightly.”

Marcus had roles in Murder, She Wrote and Rambo III, alongside Sylvester Stallone, while he also auditioned for the part of James Bond in the late 1980s, losing out to Timothy Dalton. He ran his own production company, Touch the Sky Productions, and famously appeared as the rich, handsome boyfriend in the Nescafe Gold Blend adverts.

After he lost his wife, and the mother of his son Maximilian and daughter Aaliya, Marcus said: “I wasn’t prepared to be involved with anyone after my wife. Homaa, which means bird of paradise in Urdu.”

Despite this, in 2023 he did find new happiness with Lysette, with whom he’d starred in A Ghost In Monte Carlo in 1990. He is said to have found love with Lysette 33 years after they first kissed on-screen in the movie. A friend of the actress revealed after they reconnected: “It’s a serious romance and has been going on for some time. They make an adorable couple. Lysette is head over heels with him.”

On social media Lysette posted pictures of the two of them together, using shots of them kissing in the 1990 film, which is based a Barbara Cartland novel, alongside pictures of them at the time. She captioned the Instagram post: ‘My Forever Love.’

Marcus and Lysette got together after a friend told him that she was suffering from Parkinson’s. “I couldn’t imagine such a free-spirited person as her having Parkinson’s,” he explained. ‘I’ve never remembered much about our affair on that film but what I do remember is every single word I said to her on set in that church when my character was marrying hers. It’s a Barbara Cartland film so it’s a bit naff, but I was saying, “My darling” and staring into those huge blue eyes.

“When I heard she had Parkinson’s, I wrote to her agent. I remembered her vibrancy, her joy of life. I wanted to help in any way I could.”

Speaking of their first meeting after many decades, Lysette said: “He walks in and he’s wearing a corduroy suit — crumpled, gorgeous. We sit and talk. Six hours later we’re still talking.

“He loved his wife so very much so there was guilt. But he’s had a 28-year marriage with two remarkable children, which is the biggest mark of success.”

She revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer in March and had been determined to get better. “All I did the first day he was in hospital was cry, but Marcus is ridiculously brave. He wants to get well and we want to live,” she said.

One of his last social media posts was with Lysette. Marcus called her a “beautiful lady” and shared a picture of the couple sitting inside a church with his dog.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads.

Source: Mirror