Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs’ granddaughter, Georgina Baillie, has revealed she has split from her fiancé after deciding their 28-year age gap had become too difficult to overcome. Georgina, 40, had been engaged to musician Rusty Egan, 68, after he proposed last year. However, the former burlesque performer has now confirmed the pair have ended their engagement and called off plans to marry.

Speaking about the split, Georgina admitted she was left heartbroken by the decision but felt the couple were ultimately at different stages in life. She explained that Rusty was looking towards retirement while she still wanted to focus on her ambitions and career. Georgina is the granddaughter of beloved Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, who famously played Spanish waiter Manuel in the classic BBC sitcom.

Georgina was thrust into the spotlight in 2008 during the infamous "Sachsgate" scandal involving her ex Russell Brand, 50, and his radio co-star Jonathan Ross, 65.

At the time, Georgina had briefly dated Brand after meeting him while performing with dance troupe Satanic Sluts.

The controversy erupted after Brand and Ross left offensive voicemail messages for Sachs during a BBC Radio 2 broadcast, including remarks about Brand’s relationship with Georgina.

The incident sparked national outrage and became one of the BBC’s biggest ever scandals, although it has had many, many more since then.

Brand and Ross were suspended in the fallout, while Brand later quit his Radio 2 show entirely. Ross eventually left the BBC after choosing not to renew his contract.

Mortified Georgina tried to stay out of the spotlight during the media frenzy and later revealed she temporarily fled to Austria while the controversy dominated headlines.

The following year in an interview with the Radio Times, Sachs, said he thought the incident provoked a strong reaction because the public felt it was really Manuel, his ‘Fawlty Towers’ persona. He said: "It's in the past. It takes a lot to upset me and I can't bear resentments. It's a waste of time."

However, he did admit the whole affair had caused a certain amount of tension within his family. He added, "We're very close to my daughter (Kate), who is Georgina's mother. It must be difficult for Kate, because she must feel stuck in the middle. We haven't really discussed it. If there's ever a right time, I'll ask her what she feels about it. It's up to her."

Years later, Andrew Sachs admitted the incident continued to haunt him long after the scandal faded from public attention. Thankfully, Georgina revealed she was able to repair her relationship with her grandfather before his death in 2016 aged 86.