TV presenter, Judith Chalmers, has died aged 90, surrounded by her family.
Best known for hosting Wish You Were Here, her family said she died peacefully at home, after living with Alzheimer’s in her final years.
“After living an extraordinary life that involved over 60 years in broadcasting and countless adventures all over the globe, Judy sadly passed away last night, surrounded by the family she loved so much after suffering with Alzheimer’s for some years,” they said in a statement to ITV News.
“We will miss her greatly but she leaves behind a giant suitcase of the happiest of memories.”
Born in Gatley, in Cheshire, she took her first broadcasting steps at 13, when she was selected to be on BBC Northern Children’s Hour.
“It was my mother who suggested I should write for an audition,” she told Nottingham Evening News in 1961.
“I had been to speech training classes to iron out my accent and had appeared in school plays, but I have never had any burning desire to be an actress.”
She went on to present a number of shows from Manchester at the BBC and Granada Television, including Children’s Television Club, which was filmed on a ferry in Liverpool and provided the inspiration for Blue Peter.
In the 60s she hosted Family Favourites and Woman’s Hour, as well as appearing alongside Ken Dodd on his radio show. She was the presenter of Come Dancing between 1961 and 1965.
In 1974 she started on Wish You Were Here? and stayed on the ITV holiday show until 2003.
In 2022 she took on the “honorary” role of Chief Smile Officer for Heathrow Express to help passengers kick off their holidays on a “positive, stress-free note.”
She was married to Neil Durden-Smith and has two children, including television presenter, Mark Durden-Smith, and 6 grand children.
She was awarded an OBE in 1994 for her services to broadcasting and the Holiday Care service.
