BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died
BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died at the age of 67, his agent has said.
The Sri Lanka-born journalist – the face of BBC One’s News At Six since 2007 – was diagnosed in 2014 with stage four bowel cancer, which had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.
He endured two rounds of chemotherapy and several operations, including the removal of most of his liver.
In October 2015 he announced his treatment was over and returned to BBC News At Six on 10 November.
Alagiah joined the BBC in 1989 and spent many years as one of the corporation’s leading foreign correspondents before moving to presenting.
Pic: Mike Lawn/Shutterstock
In a statement, 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.
“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.”
George Alagiah with his wife Frances and sons Adam and Matt in 2008 after he received an OBE
‘One of the best and bravest journalists of his generation’
BBC director-general Tim Davie said: “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.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “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.”
The BBC’s world affairs editor John Simpson said: “Deeply, deeply sorry to hear about dear George Alagiah.
“A gentler, kinder, more insightful and braver friend and colleague it would be hard to find. I loved having his company in the BBC World Affairs Unit, and his progress after that was a pleasure to watch.”
Podcast host Jon Sopel, former North America editor of BBC News, said: “Tributes will rightly be paid to a fantastic journalist and brilliant broadcaster – but George was the most decent, principled, kindest, most honourable man I have ever worked with. What a loss.”
Sky News presenter Mark Austin said: “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.”
An illustrious career as a print reporter, author, foreign correspondent and presenter
Alagiah 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.
Before joining the BBC, Alagiah workied 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.
Battle with cancer
Alagiah’s 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.
Alagiah announced he was taking a break from presenting the BBC’s News At Six in October last year following another scan.
He spoke openly about 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.
“Those of us living with cancer know that it affects our families almost as much as ourselves,” he said.
“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.”
Alagiah is survived by his wife, Frances Robathan, and two children.
The new Co-op Live in Manchester has been hit by further problems before it’s even fully opened – with tonight’s gig cancelled and two events this weekend postponed.
Concertgoers were supposed to have been allowed into the arena at 6.30pm tonight and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was due to perform at 8pm, according to the venue’s website.
However, a post on the venue’s social media at 6.40pm told fans the gig had been cancelled, after fans had started to gather.
Those planning to go to Olivia Rodrigo‘s dates at the arena this weekend immediately shared concerns over whether they would go ahead and, within hours, their fears were confirmed.
Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. Pic: Cover Images/AP
“Due to an ongoing venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour on May 3 and 4 May are being postponed,” the venue said in a statement on X.
“Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund at point of purchase.”
Her Co-op Live gigs were two of the 10 UK dates on her European and US tour. The new dates are yet to be announced.
Olivia Rodrigo at the Grammys in February. Pic: Reuters
In an Instagram post after A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s last-minute cancellation, the US rapper said issues were down to “something [that] happened with the venue while I was at soundcheck”.
More from Sky News:
Brit missing after ‘jumping off Prague party boat’
Man charged with murder of boy, 14, in Hainault.
“We are working on rescheduling in the next few days,” he added. “I’m heated about the situation too, but safety first.
“Manchester, I got you. Just stay tuned for further info.”
Co-op Live bosses had sought to reassure fans that tonight’s show would go ahead and shared instructions for attendees just hours before the cancellation.
With a capacity of 23,500, the Co-op Live will be the UK’s largest arena when it’s fully open and was built at an estimated cost of £365m.
Headaches for the venue became clear last month when the capacity at a test event was reduced with just hours’ notice.
Rick Astley had been due to perform to 11,000 arena workers and VIPs on 21 April but at the last minute, thousands of people saw their tickets cancelled.
Peter Kay was supposed to be Co-op Live’s opening act before his stand-up shows were postponed last month. File pic: PA
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The venue was due to fully open with Peter Kay stand-up shows on 23 and 24 April, but these dates were pushed back too amid behind-schedule tests and safety concerns.
Kay’s fans were initially told the shows would take place just days later – but they were then postponed again, for a month’s time.
US rock duo The Black Keys were among the acts due to take to the stage during Co-op Live’s opening week. Their gig was previously pushed back to 15 May.
Co-op Live’s general manager Gary Roden announced his resignation last week following the initial setbacks.
Entertainment
Harvey Weinstein back in court as prosecutors seek retrial after rape conviction overturned
US prosecutors plan to retry Harvey Weinstein after his 2020 conviction for rape was overturned in New York.
The disgraced movie mogul, who has been in jail for four years, appeared in a Manhattan court on Wednesday for the first time since that conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week.
A retrial could happen as soon as September.
“We believe in this case and will be retrying this case,” prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said.
In April, the state’s highest court ruled that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial – finding the hearing was prejudiced by “egregious” improper rulings by the judge, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
Just days after the landmark #MeToo ruling was overturned, he was taken to hospital, with his lawyer Arthur Aidala describing him as “somewhat of a train wreck health-wise” but still “sharp as a tack” mentally.
Jessica Mann leaves court after the hearing. Pic: AP
Weinstein, 72, has had cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnoea and eye problems for some time, and was “in constant pain”, Mr Aidala said.
He entered court in a wheelchair pushed by a court officer for the preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006 and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 following the landmark 2020 trial in New York.
He remains behind bars as he was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for that crime, and is also appealing against this conviction.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Ms Blumberg told the judge that Ms Mann, who was in court, is prepared to testify again and has said she wants everyone to know that the defendant “may have power” but “she has the truth”.
Ms Haley’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, told reporters that her client has not decided whether she will give evidence a second time, as she found the experience traumatising and painful. She was not in court, Ms Allred said.
Read more: Harvey Weinstein – The fall of the king of Hollywood
Once considered the most powerful man in Hollywood, the first allegations against Weinstein emerged in 2017.
Dozens of women came forward claiming he bullied, pressured, coerced, or overpowered them while demanding sexual favours.
Mimi Haley’s lawyer Gloria Allred holding a sign before speaking to reporters outside court. Pic: Reuters
Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, and Lupita Nyong’o all accused him of sexual harassment, while actresses Asia Argento and Rose McGowan were among others who accused him of rape.
They are among more than 80 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.
He was also accused of reaching settlements to keep the stories quiet.
Weinstein has admitted his behaviour “caused a lot of pain”, but has maintained his innocence throughout, saying any sexual activity was consensual.
Hollywood star Melissa McCarthy has responded by saying, “I win the day”, after Barbra Streisand was criticised for asking her if she had taken a weight-loss drug.
Bridesmaids star McCarthy had posted an image of herself on Instagram at a charity gala alongside US director Adam Shankman on Monday.
Streisand, the legendary singer and actress, replied in a comment below: “Give him my regards, did you take Ozempic?”
The drug can only be prescribed for patients with Type 2 diabetes and is not licensed as a weight-loss treatment in the UK or US.
Streisand posted an apology on X for her original comment which was swiftly deleted after it sparked a backlash online.
In a short video shared on Instagram, hours after the apology, McCarthy said: “The takeaway: Barbra Streisand knows I exist, she reached out to me and she thought I looked good. I win the day.”
McCarthy was holding up a magazine with Streisand on the cover in the video, which was filmed at the premiere of the new Netflix movie Unfrosted, in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old will appear in the film alongside Jerry Seinfield and Hugh Grant when it is released this month.
McCarthy was earlier asked by a photographer in Los Angeles what she thought of Streisand’s comments and replied: “I think Barbra is a treasure, and I love her.”
Melissa McCarthy poses at the premiere of the Netflix film Unfrosted. Pic: AP
‘I forgot the world is reading’
Streisand, 82, had said in her apology earlier on Tuesday: “I went on Instagram to see the photos we’d posted of the beautiful flowers I’d received for my birthday.
“Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy, who I sang with on my Encore album.
“She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment, I forgot the world is reading!”
Read more entertainment news
College offers Taylor Swift course
Line of Duty actor dies suddenly
Depardieu to face sexual assault trial
Barba Streisand apologised for the comment. File pic: Reuters
In response to Streisand’s original comment referring to Ozempic, one social media user wrote: “Omg somebody please teach Barbra Streisand how to send a DM.”
Another wrote: “Omg…this comment from Barbra Streisand. Yes, it’s real, but she’s deleted it.”
Ozempic works by suppressing the appetite and lengthens the amount of time food stays in the stomach, leading to weight loss – at least for as long as you carry on taking it.
It has been banned as a treatment for obesity in the UK due to high demand for the drug causing a global shortage.
Numerous Hollywood stars are rumoured to have used Ozempic to lose weight – but just a handful of celebrities have admitted it publicly.
Stephen Fry was prescribed the drug in the US “years ago” and said earlier this year that side effects included vomiting up to five times a day.
Oprah Winfrey has said she has also taken weight-loss drugs, though she’s declined to specify which ones.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Environment11 months agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports6 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Technology3 years ago
Game consoles were once banned in China. Now Chinese developers want a slice of the $49 billion pie
-
Sports4 weeks agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game