BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died
BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died at the age of 67, with tributes pouring in for the much-loved journalist.
Politicians, Alagiah's BBC colleagues and broadcasters from other channels have been remembering the newsreader following the sad news being announced.
BBC Breakfast star Naga Munchetty broke down in tears live on air while presenting her 5 Live radio show after discovering her colleague had died.
The dad-of-two, one of the BBC’s longest-serving newsreaders, spent the last decade living with bowel cancer prior to his death.
A statement from Alagiah's agent Mary Greenham to the PA news agency said: "I am so terribly sorry to inform you that George Alagiah died peacefully today, surrounded by his family and loved ones.
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Tributes have already started to pour in for the BBC newsreader (BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images)"George fought until the bitter end but sadly that battle ended earlier today. George was deeply loved by everybody who knew him, whether it was a friend, a colleague or a member of the public. He simply was a wonderful human being. My thoughts are with Fran, the boys and his wider family."
Following the statement from Alagiiah's agent being released, BBC Director-General Tim Davie said: "Across the BBC, we are all incredibly sad to hear the news about George. We are thinking of his family at this time.
"George was one of the best and bravest journalists of his generation who reported fearlessly from across the world as well as presenting the news flawlessly. He was more than just an outstanding journalist, audiences could sense his kindness, empathy and wonderful humanity. He was loved by all and we will miss him enormously."
Sky News journalist Mark Austin was one of the first to pay tribute to Alagiah, tweeting: "This breaks my heart. A good man, a rival on the foreign correspondent beat but above all a friend. If good journalism is about empathy, and it often is, George Alagiah had it in spades. He understood injustice and the power of good reporting to highlight it,if not correct it …"
Alagiah with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2008 (PA)
The late BBC broadcaster with his wife Frances at their London home (PHILIP IDE)Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer penned: "Deeply saddened by the news of George Alagiah’s passing. A much-loved face of BBC News for decades, George will also be remembered for his brilliant, fearless journalism as foreign correspondent. He rightly won awards for his evocative, boundary pushing reporting. British journalism has lost a talent. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones."
Martin Lewis also took to Twitter to pay his respects to the late news anchor, with the Good Morning Britain star telling his followers: "I saw the hashtag and hoped it wasn't this. Much respect to George and condolences to his family. Talented man who will be missed."
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker also reacted to the "terribly sad news" on Twitter, with Loose Women panelist and ITV journalist Charlene White adding: "George was such a beautiful soul inside and out. His smile could light up a room with such ease. We worked together numerous times with @bowelcanceruk. Such a huge loss of an incredibly brilliant, kind, and talented man. Sending so much love to his family and colleagues."
Former BBC Breakfast presenter and current Channel 5 news anchor Dan Walker told his followers this afternoon: "How sad to hear about the death of George Alagiah. Incredibly well respected and loved both inside and outside the BBC. I hope his family know he inspired a lot of people with his courage."
The Sri Lanka-born journalist, the face of BBC One's News At Six since 2007, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, which had spread to his liver and lymph nodes, in April 2014.
He endured two rounds of chemotherapy and several operations, including the removal of most of his liver. In October 2015 he announced that his treatment was over and returned to BBC News At Six on November 10.
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Alagiah joined the BBC in 1989 and spent many years as one of the corporation's leading foreign correspondents before moving to presenting. He first began hosting the 6pm news bulletin in early 2003, but stepped up to front it solo four years later following the departure of his co-host, Natasha Kaplinsky.
He was previously a prominent foreign correspondent, often as a specialist in Africa with coverage of civil wars in Somalia and Liberia as well as the genocide in Rwanda 20 years ago. Throughout his career he interviewed central political figures, among them former South African president Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and ex-Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.
Alagiah speaking during a seminar at Clarence House in 2009 (PA)Before joining the BBC, Alagiah worked as a print journalist and went on to write a number of books including A Home From Home, which looked at what it means to be British. Throughout his illustrious career, he also presented other shows such as Mixed Britannia, looking at the UK's mixed-race population.
He was made an OBE in the 2008 New Year Honours. His cancer returned in December 2017 and he underwent further treatment before again returning to work. He took another break from studio duties in October 2021 to deal with a further spread of cancer, before returning in April 2022.
Appearing in a campaign in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support in 2022, speaking about the impact of his own experience of living with stage four bowel cancer, Alagiah said: "People always ask me how I cope and it's the hardest question...
"The challenge at first was getting my cancer diagnosis straight in my head - despite having so much going for me, a successful career and a loving family, here I was just being told I was dying."
In October last year, Alagiah announced he was taking a break from presenting the BBC's News At Six following another scan.
He said: "A recent scan showed that my cancer has spread further so it's back to some tough stuff. I'm missing my colleagues. Working in the newsroom has been such an important part of keeping energised and motivated."
Alagiah spoke openly about the experience of living with cancer, joining a videocast for the charity Bowel Cancer UK in 2020 in which he said he sometimes felt he had the "easy part", living with bowel cancer while his loved ones had to watch.
He said: "Those of us living with cancer know that it affects our families almost as much as ourselves. In some ways I've felt through my six-plus years living with cancer that sometimes I have the easy part... My job is just to stay fit and my family has got to watch all of the other things."
He is survived by his wife, Frances Robathan, and two children.
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