A funeral for Bill Turnbull has taken place after the broadcaster died following a five-year battle with cancer.
The former BBC Breakfast star tragically died aged 66 at the end of August after being diagnosed with the cancer in 2017.
Bill’s former Breakfast co-stars like Charlie Stayt, Naga Munchetty, Susanna Reid, and Sian Williams were among those who attended his funeral on Friday afternoon (September 16).
READ MORE: Ex-BBC Breakfast hosts now – terminal cancer, near-death experience and stalker hell
Mike Bushell, Charlotte Hawkins, Martha Kearney, Louise Minchin, and Nick Robinson also attended the private ceremony. which took place at the Holy Trinity church in Blythburgh, Suffolk.
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Six pallbearers carried Turnbull’s oak coffin, which was decorated with a red rose and purple bouquet, including his two sons and son-in-law.
Naga, who worked with Bill for several years, told the PA agency: “Bill was the grammar hammer; he was so on top of his grammar plurals, singulars… He was all over it.
“He was passionate about the job and passionate about the journalism and passionate about the audience.
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“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.”
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Sian, who hosted Breakfast with Turnbull for over a decade, added: “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.
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“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.
She continued: “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.
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“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.”
Bill’s passing was confirmed on September 1 with a family statement hailing the star as a “wonderful father and husband”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
