Tiggy Walker, widow of BBC Radio 2 presenter Johnnie Walker, has shared a heartbreaking video of her husband nine months before his death. The video shows Johnnie struggling to breathe, using an electric wheelchair and hooked up to an oxygen tank at home.
Johnnie Walker's battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Johnnie died in December 2024 after being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal condition. In his final year, he was cared for full-time by his wife and had to present his BBC show from home.
Tiggy Walker's Instagram post
In a post on Instagram, Tiggy wrote: “This was my late husband – Johnnie Walker (as in Radio 2) – 9 months before he died. So still in ‘good shape’ compared with the end.” She described her role as his sole carer: “It was the most challenging year of my life. From dressing and bathing him, to making sure he was plugged into oxygen, emptying the commode and pee bottles and managing all medical matters, to being constantly stressed about his condition.”
She added: “That’s on top of running the home and supporting him with his radio shows. I had no time for me or my career.”
Plea to Andy Burnham
Tiggy directly addressed Prime Minister Andy Burnham, thanking him for putting social care high on his agenda. She wrote: “It’s fantastic to hear it discussed on news programs as a real issue facing us. We’re one of the worst countries in the world with the support we get.” She expressed a wish: “I’d like to see a time when unpaid carers are not driven into the ground mentally, physically and spiritually as I was.”
She said this was the first time she had shown the video and made a political statement, but did so because social care “IS a huge issue that we cannot ignore.”
Support from fans and BBC colleagues
Tiggy received immediate support. Radio presenter Bob Harris, who stepped down from his own Radio 2 show while battling prostate cancer, wrote: “Yes Tiggy.” Another fan commented: “Tigs, it’s the storytelling from people like you, with authentic, real experience of what it’s like to be a full-time carer, that makes a difference.” Another wrote: “So hard to see but thank you for sharing and speaking out about this tragic system that currently exists.”
