Share Bert's wife of 47 years, Patti Newton, told The Daily Telegraph she had 'never seen anybody in more pain' than her husband on the morning of his operation. She added: 'I just felt he could not go through pain like he was going through for much longer.' Space: Pictures of the Hawthorn residence appear to show that the garage is being renovated into a living space Bert went into surgery at 7.50am on Saturday and Patti learned it had been a success at 3pm. 'It was a long day and a long wait,' she said. Patti, 76, also spoke of her husband's fighting spirit, saying the grandfather of six agreed to the life-changing surgery because 'he has so much to live for'.