Veteran newsreader George Alagiah dies aged 67 after battle with bowel cancer
24 July 2023, 12:02 | Updated: 24 July 2023, 12:54
BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died aged 67 after battling with bowel cancer.
The much-loved journalist was diagnosed with stage four of the disease in 2014.
He had undergone two rounds of chemotherapy and a number of operations, including the removal of most of his liver, where the cancer had spread to.
He leaves behind his wife Frances Robathan and two children.
The Sri Lanka-born reporter returned to the BBC News at Six in November 2015.
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."
His agent, Mary Greenham, 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.
Read more: Shocking moment ex-Premier League star Shaka Hislop collapses live on TV
"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."
Alagiah, who covered the Rwanda genocide and civil war in Somalia, joined the BBC in 1989 and worked as a foreign correspondent before moving into presenting.
Among his most prominent interviews were Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Robert Mugabe.
He fronted the 6pm headlines from 2003 and then worked on the show on his own after Natasha Kaplinsky left.
Alagiah was made an OBE in the 2008 New Year Honours.
A year later, the BBC asked him to step down as patron of the Fairtrade Foundation because of its impartiality code.
His cancer returned in 2017, but announced in 2020 that it has spread to his lungs, and would take a break from work between October 2021 and April 2022 as the cancer spread further.
He took another break from October last year as he announced he was missing his colleagues and the energy of a newsroom.
Speaking in a videocast for the Bowel Cancer UK charity three years ago, said he felt like he had the "easy" part of his diagnosis.
"My job is just to stay fit and my family has got to watch all of the other things," he said.
