George Alagiah said Deborah James' selfless gesture helped ease his fear
Close family, friends and viewers have been sharing heartfelt tributes for BBC newsreader, George Alagiah, who has sadly died at the age of 67 after a nine-year battle with cancer.
The Sri Lanka-born journalist was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2014, and endured gruelling treatment before returning to present BBC News At Six in November 2015.
Two years later, his cancer returned and he underwent further treatment before going back to work again, then he took a temporary break from studio duties in October 2021.
During one of his darkest moments, George reached out to BBC podcast presenter Dame Deborah James, who was also going through treatment for bowel cancer at the time.
Deborah chose to stay on the phone to George, rather than share her good news with her family (Instagram)He shared the touching gesture of friendship Deborah made, after he got in touch through a mutual friend to chat about their experiences of bowel cancer. It was at a time when George's cancer had scarily spread to his lungs, and Deborah had some positive news about her treatment.
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In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph last year, George said: "We had a mutual friend. When my cancer got into my lungs they arranged for us to have a conversation because it had got into hers too. When I called her, she was walking out of the Marsden [London's leading cancer hospital], having had her own regular scan to see if the cancer was spreading. That day, it was okay."
George said he told Deborah to inform her family of the news immediately, but instead of jumping off the phone, she stopped and spoke to him for half an hour about their shared experiences. The much-loved Bowel Babe - who touched the nation with a podcast chronicling her illness - passed away last June aged 40, after living with the disease for more than five years.
Now research from Bowel Cancer UK shows 77 percent of people can name at least two signs of bowel cancer – up from 55 percent last year. And more than 100,000 are on hospital waiting lists to get symptoms checked out, according to NHS figures.
A statement released from George's agent Mary Greenham to the PA news agency today said: "I am so terribly sorry to inform you that George Alagiah died peacefully today, surrounded by his family and loved ones. 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 George'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."
Throughout his career, George interviewed central political figures, among them former South African president Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and ex-Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe. He is survived by his wife, Frances Robathan, and two children.
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