Sophie Raworth has spoken about the moment she had to tell BBC viewers that her friend and former co-presenter George Alagiah had died. In an interview with Saga Magazine, she described how she got through the difficult broadcast.
Friends for more than 20 years
Raworth and Alagiah began working together as co-presenters of the BBC Six O'Clock News in 2003 and were friends for over two decades. Alagiah was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in April 2014, aged 58, and died on 24 July 2023, aged 67. On the day of his death, Raworth was presenting BBC News at Six when she had to announce the news on air.
She said: "It was terrible, George had so much chemotherapy. The side effects were awful, but he never complained."
Explaining how she coped, she said: "I dug my nails into my palms really hard – it was the only way to get through [announcing George's death on the news] without breaking down."
A warning about screening
In 2018, Alagiah said his cancer had been caught "very late" and may have been detected earlier if England had a screening programme similar to Scotland's. He underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy and five operations after the disease spread to his liver and lymph nodes.
'He simply was a wonderful human being'
His agent, Mary Greenham, announced his death in a statement, saying: "I am so terribly sorry to inform you that George Alagiah died peacefully today, surrounded by his family and loved ones."
She added: "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 [his wife] Fran, the boys and his wider family."
Named her daughter after him
In an emotional message shared with the BBC after Alagiah's death, Raworth revealed that she had named her daughter Georgia after him. She wrote: "I have a daughter called Georgia. She is 17 years old. In November 2005, on the day she was due to be born, my husband and I walked into a Moroccan-style tent in a back garden in north London. It was filled with bunting, long tables, food and George Alagiah's whole family - his wife and two sons, his father, four sisters, nieces, nephews and a handful of close friends. It was his 50th birthday party."
She added: "A small, intimate affair for a man who adored his family more than anything else. When my baby finally appeared two weeks later, we named her Georgia after him."
