Bill Turnbull's former co-presenters have paid emotional tributes to their 'television husband' during a BBC Breakfast programme dedicated to him. Louise Minchin, Susanna Reid and Sian Williams were among the names appearing on the programme on Friday morning to pay tribute to the show's former presenter, who died aged 66 on August 31 after a "challenging and committed fight against prostate cancer".
They shared anecdotes of their time with him on the red sofa, and praised him for his "friendship, love and support".
Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2017 and later detailed his treatment in a Channel 4 documentary called Staying Alive. As a result, charities saw an increase in the number of people getting checked out with their doctors.
Sian Williams, who shared the sofa with him for 11 years, said: "I don't think he was aware, but what he did saved lives. It is such a lovely tribute.. He was unfailingly positive the whole way through. He was always going for the next thing. He had lot of optimism and hope around him. He had a saying 'I don't want to die dying'.
"Bill wanted to celebrate life, he wanted to make the most of every little last bit of it and put all the hope, optimism and laughter into every moment of his life. He had a very full life which he was passionate about, and it was great to see that enthusiasm and love for life even in the most difficult of times. He was an extraordinary man, and he has left an extraordinary legacy.
"I will remember 30 years of friendship, of support, and laughter. What you saw on the telly was how he was - kind, gentle, funny, clever. Just a lovely bloke, and I will miss him."
Susanna, who moved from the BBC to ITV after sharing the sofa with Bill, said: "He really was the best. The kindest, funniest, most supportive, and he was the most generous. That is no disrespect to any of my current or former TV husbands. He was incredibly supportive, and he was great fun to work with. He never took himself too seriously, even though he took his job seriously. He was the best."
She added: "He mentored everybody on the programme, he was like the father of BBC Breakfast. He taught me everything, he taught so many of us everything about journalism, about television and about being a decent person in this industry... he was kind, compassionate and wise and a great friend, and I loved every minute of being with him, and we are really going to miss him."
Fighting back tears, she said: "He had a mischievous sense of humour. Some little quirk would happen and you'd see Bill start to laugh, and you knew that if Bill started to laugh you were not going to be able to hold it together."
Louise Minchin returned to the show to praise Bill for being "kind with his time" as she revealed he was one of the first people she consulted when she decided to leave BBC Breakfast.
Louise, who first appeared on the broadcaster's flagship morning news show in 200l, said farewell to BBC Breakfast in September 2021, while Turnbull signed off from the sofa in 2016 after 15 years.
During Louise's final programme, Bill featured in a moving tribute saying she was "most of all a warm, sunny person who will always be my friend".
She told BBC Breakfast: "I think it was kindness and generosity with his time and even when I was still in contact with him - we're still members of a lottery syndicate which I'm still playing and I will go on playing, by the way.
"But he always was kind with his time. So for example, when I took the decision to leave BBC Breakfast, the first person, one of the first people, I talked about making that decision was Bill, and you know, he was ill at the time, but he took time out of his day to have a long conversation with me about that.
"And I think we all really appreciated that, you know, he had a huge stature, a very important reputation, but he always would give back to all of us."
Bill's family praised the treatment he received at the Royal Marsden and Ipswich hospitals, St Elizabeth Hospice and from his GP, and said in a statement: "He was resolutely positive and was hugely buoyed by the support he received from friends, colleagues and messages from people wishing him luck. It was a great comfort to Bill that so many more men are now testing earlier for this disease.
"Bill will be remembered by many as a remarkable broadcaster who brought warmth and humour into people's homes on BBC Breakfast and Classic FM."
In 1990, Bill became a correspondent for BBC News and reported from more than 30 countries, covering notable stories including the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the OJ Simpson trial.
He joined BBC Breakfast in 2001 as a presenter alongside Sian Williams and they worked together until 2012 when she left after the programme moved from London to Salford.
He made numerous television appearances outside of BBC Breakfast, including as the presenter on BBC One's Songs Of Praise.
Other TV appearances included Strictly Come Dancing, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Through The Keyhole, Celebrity Mastermind, Would I Lie To You?, Pointless Celebrities and Room 101, and he also featured in dictionary corner on Countdown.
In 2011 he played himself in Doctor Who episode The Wedding Of River Song. He is survived by his wife Sesi, who he married in March 1988, and their three children.
Read next:
- BBC The One Show viewers are furious with Jamie Oliver over his 'cheap' meal claim
- Landowners and farmers to get £32m worth of grants to help Wales plant 86 million trees
- 'Drunkenness and fighting' reported at Gower beach as new parking restrictions come in
Shock as mystery 'creature' seems to pop up from sand on Welsh beach
Drowned Welsh village further emerges with scathing graffiti after long dry weather
