Boss of curry house involved in video promo row knows the diner who widow believes is her dead husband
27 January 2023, 11:25
The boss of a curry house involved in a row over its new promotional video apparently featuring a widow's late husband says the diner in question is actually a regular customer.
Lucy Watson claims to have spotted her late husband in a new promotional video for Spice Cottage curry house and has said she's in 'no doubt' the man in the video is her husband.
The restaurant has already acknowledged Ms Watson's comments, insisting the footage was shot in the week commencing January 9 - days after the restaurant was refurbished.
Spice Cottage's manager Bodrul Islam said: "I run the social media side of the business and recorded a promotional video to portray our new wooden tables and interior refurbishment."
He continued: "The refurbishment was completed in early January 2023 and the promotional video highlights these changes. All videos used in the video were recorded w/c 9th January 2023.
"Before January 2023, all of our tables were covered by white and red cloths, henceforth it is evident this footage is recent."
Woman claims to see her dead husband of nine years in Sussex restaurant promo video
Now, another manager at the restaurant has provided even further clarification in the row, saying that he knows the diner the widow thinks is her late husband.
Azizur Rahman told The Sun: "I don't know why she thinks she saw her husband in the video, it was taken the other day by me and my cousin.
"We filmed it on Friday the 13th of January this year. I saw the man she thinks is her husband come into the restaurant, he was in his 40s or 50s.
"I don't know his name but he comes in every two months or so. I think he was with his friend, not with a son. Most of our customers are regulars here."
The row began when Ms Watson said she noticed that one of the customers bore marked resemblance to her late husband - despite the fact he died nine years ago.
Enquiring as to the date the footage was shot, she wrote: "How old is the footage? My late husband and his son are on the first shot and he died in 2014??"
The mystery became even more engrossing when Spice Cottage replied: "Hi Lucy, sorry to hear this. This footage was recorded last week."
"The moment I saw the thing I thought "Oh my God – that's Harry," said Ms Watson.
"It was so instant. I didn't even have to think. He'd be eating a chicken korma because that's all he ever ate."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms Watson dismissed "ridiculous conspiracy theories", adding that the comment made by the restaurant was obviously to defend the use of old footage in a bid "to generate customers".
"I just thought 'That's an old video'. I posted asking how old the footage was," added Ms Watson.
"I was only asking out of interest – then it all went crazy.
"It annoyed me when they sent a message back saying it was filmed last week. It can't have been."
