11:28am UK, Saturday May 17, 2008

The husband of award-winning make-up artist Diane Chenery-Wickens has appeared in court charged with her murder.

David Chenery-Wickens was arrested after his wife's remains were found in the village of Little Horsted in East Sussex on Thursday.

Body was found in Little Horsted, Sussex

Remains found in Little Horsted

The 51-year-old stood in the dock at Hastings Magistrates' Court flanked by two officers as the murder charge was read out.

Dressed in a baggy brown jumper, he spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

Chenery-Wickens, from Duddleswell, East Sussex, was remanded in custody to appear before a judge at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, August 22.

Mrs Chenery-Wickens, 48, had been missing for four months before her remains were found by a woman walking her dog.

She was identified by her dental records. The cause of death has yet to be established.

Mrs Chenery-Wickens who worked on TV shows including Dead Ringers and The League Of Gentlemen, was reported missing by her husband on January 24.

She won a prestigious Emmy award in 2000 for her work on Arabian Nights.

In 2003 she was nominated for a Bafta for her work on Dead Ringers but missed out to an artist on Little Britain.

Dead Ringers impressionist Jon Culshaw made a televised appeal for help in finding her after she vanished.