BBC Breakfast viewers were devastated when Bill Turnbull announced he was leaving the show after 15 years - but he had a very valid reason for leaving. The popular presenter, who sat on the red sofa as host for the last time in 2016, was a massive hit with the millions of viewers who woke up with him every day.
The love for Bill can be seen in the outpouring of grief that has come after his tragic death was announced on Thursday morning. Sadly, Bill passed away at the age of 66 after a "challenging' five year fight with prostate cancer. Bill died peacefully on Wednesday at his home in Suffolk, which is where he moved after leaving his BBC Breakfast role.
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Announcing his decision to leave in September 2015, Bill told The Mirror that he wanted to spend more time with his wife and his "neglected" bees.
"I agreed to come North for two years and it went so well I agreed to do another two years," he explained.
"That is coming to an end - by that time I will have been doing the show for nearly 15 years which is more than enough for me and the audience.
"So it is a good time to call it a day and do something else. It was a long term decision. I could see this coming up, and it was always the plan. I’ll leave early next year."
Bill confessed he hadn't been spending enough time with his bees and that the 3am alarm call was also a factor in wanting to move on.
He said: "The early starts you never get used to. You get hardened to it and I have done it thousands of times and it still never gets any easier.
"Doing that in combination with more than three hours of current affairs a day is tiring. There is no two ways about it.
"I have noticed the past few weeks I am waking up at half past four or five every single day when I am not on.
"Normally I get up at half past three. When the alarm doesn’t go off I still wake up at four or five, still early and that is because it is ingrained. I will have to train myself out of it.
"My wife is consulted in all the big decisions and she is perfectly happy. We will manage to get rid of the 9.30 curfew which will be nice. It will be fun. There is some sadness, but no regrets."
Bill and wife Sarah McCombie, who he married in March 1988, ha dlived in Buckinghmashire for a long time before relocating to Cheshire in 2012 when BBC Breakfast moved to Salford.
In March 2018, Bill revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer the previous November and was left in a tearful daze when his doctor told him about the disease.
Bill had chemotherapy in a bid to control the disease and buy him as much time as possible to spend with his loving family.
After an episode of the Great British Bake Off, which the presenter filmed before he was diagnosed, he spoke about his cancer in a bid to encourage other men to get their prostates checked.
"I've been blessed to have had a wonderful family who still give me joy every day," he began in the emotional video. "To me, being a father is the most challenging and most fulfilling thing you can do."
Bill, who has three children with wife Sarah, then revealed the heartbreaking moment he told his kids about his cancer diagnosis.
"I remember my daughter came and I said, 'Well, I've got to tell you - I've got cancer'. And I had to tell my sons on the phone... we all cried," he recalled.
Bill spoke about his regret at not having had a test earlier.
"If I had a test a few years ago we would have diagnosed it early and knocked it on the head early and my survival would be a lot better," he said.
The TV host added: "I prided myself on not having been to my GP for 30 years...I was getting pain in my legs and in my hips particularly, and I thought, 'This is old age'.
"Eventually the pain got so bad I thought I'd better go see my GP. He said, ‘I’m just going to give you a blood test, an MOT if you like, to check a few things out’.
"The next morning he called me and asked me in pretty quickly. And the doctor said it's fairly clear you have advanced prostate cancer."
It was Bill's heartbroken wife Sarah, who released a statement that was read out on BBC Breakfast on Thursday after he passed away.
An emotional Naga Munchetty read: "Our lovely Billy died yesterday evening. Almost five years after being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
"The last week of his life was very special as the whole family was with him and they shared some wonderful moments.
"Although Bill was often in pain, he was dignified and brave throughout and he was his usual determined self right until the very end. He made us laugh everyday. We are immensely proud of him. He was the heart of our family. It's hard to imagine life without him."
The family also spoke about Bill's brave cancer battle, adding: "Bill was diagnosed in 2017 and has had outstanding medical care from the Royal Marsden and Ipswich Hospitals, St Elizabeth Hospice and his GP."
"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.
"He was also a devoted Wycombe Wanderers fan and an ever-aspiring beekeeper. Bill was a wonderful husband and father to his three children; his family and friends will miss how he always made them laugh, and the generosity and love he shared with those around him.
"Bill was a wonderful husband and father to his three children; his family and friends will miss how he always made them laugh, and the generosity and love he shared with those around him."
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