Entertainment
Bill Turnbull’s life celebrated by his BBC co-stars, friends and family at funeral following broadcaster’s death aged 66-Kim Novak-Entertainment – Metro
He had been diagnosed in 2017.
Bill Turnbull has been laid to rest (Picture: PA)
Bill Turnbull’s funeral has taken place after the broadcaster lost his five-year battle with prostate cancer at the end of August.
BBC broadcasters including Sian Williams, Charlie Stayt, Susanna Reid and Naga Munchetty were among those in attendance at the private ceremony which took place at Holy Trinity church in Blythburgh, Suffolk, on Friday afternoon.
Turnbull’s oak coffin, which was adorned with a red rose and purple bouquet, was carried by six pallbearers, including his two sons and son-in-law, as they entered the church.
Williams, who hosted BBC Breakfast alongside Turnbull for more than a decade, told the PA news agency: ‘I think it is a day of sadness and reflection, and I hope sometime today there will also be time to celebrate his life because he was a great friend and a great man.
‘And he has so many different connections to so many different people who cherish him that I hope we can have that time together where we can share those memories.
‘I wish he were able to understand how much he was valued, and I think it is incredible the number of people here who just wanted to come and celebrate and pay their respects to him.
‘Bill made a lot of friends and he was a very loyal friend and he was great to work with as a professional, but when you’re sitting alongside someone like that there is a lot of trust that goes with that.
The BBC presenter’s coffin was carried in by six pallbearers (Picture: PA)
Naga Munchetty remembered Bill Turnbull’s passion for his job (Picture: PA)
Susanna Reid (left) and Sian Williams (right) had both worked with the much-loved presenter (Picture: PA)
Mike Bushell was seen heading into the church (Picture: PA)
‘I think the reason that so many people have turned out today to pay their respects – to think about him and share memories of him and to celebrate him – is because he was a good man.
‘He was a great bloke, he was great to work with, he was a great friend and you see that here with the number of people who wanted to express that.’
Charlotte Hawkins, Martha Kearney, Mike Bushell, Louise Minchin, and Nick Robinson were also in attendance.
BBC Breakfast presenter Munchetty, who worked with the broadcaster for several years, added: ‘Bill was the grammar hammer; he was so on top of his grammar plurals, singulars… He was all over it.
Bill Turnbull died at the end of August following a long battle with prostate cancer (Picture: PA)
Susanna Reid was among the colleagues who attended the service (Picture: PA)
Martha Kearney (centre) and Charlie Stayt (right) were seen arriving (Picture: PA)
‘He was passionate about the job and passionate about the journalism and passionate about the audience.
‘The audience was all that mattered and all that does matter and Bill never forgot that – he was a joy to sit beside.
‘To sit next to Bill was always an experience, it was always fun, it was always focused but it was also about the audience.
‘It was telling the story, being part of the story, which is always a privilege, and hearing people’s experiences and helping to relay those to our audience. It was the audience – that’s what Bill was about.’
News of the broadcaster’s death was confirmed at the start of September with his family saying in a statement: ‘Bill was diagnosed in 2017 and has had outstanding medical care from the Royal Marsden and Ipswich Hospitals, St Elizabeth Hospice and his GP.
Bill Turnbull’s friends and colleagues, including Louise Minchin, Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt, were in attendance (Picture: PA)
Bill Turnbull had been a much-loved face on television, even competing in Strictly Come Dancing (Picture: BBC)
‘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.
The presenter had hoped to raise awareness for prostate cancer by sharing his own diagnosis (Picture: PA)
‘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.’
The statement continued: ‘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.’
Tributes had also poured in for the beloved presenter, who had taken a leave of absence from his Classic FM show in October last year for health reasons.
Turnbull had also detailed his journey with prostate cancer in his Channel 4 documentary, Staying Alive, in the hopes of raising awareness and encouraging other men to get checked.
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