Susanna Reid was among the many broadcasting figures who attended a memorial service for Dermot Murnaghan at St Bride's Church in the City of London on Thursday. The Good Morning Britain anchor was pictured arriving at the service, which honoured the veteran broadcaster who died aged 68 on July 11 following a period of illness with prostate cancer.
Colleagues and friends pay tribute
Murnaghan, who first announced his stage four diagnosis in 2025, was best known for his 15-year tenure as a lead anchor on Sky News. He also presented news bulletins for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 during his decades-long career, and hosted the Eggheads quiz show.
Several of his former colleagues attended the service, including Sky's Political Editor Beth Rigby, news presenters Mark Austin, Matt Barbet and Anna Jones, and Sky Sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao. Times Radio presenter and former Sky News broadcaster Adam Boulton was also present.
Remembering a "legendary" journalist
Following his death, Susanna shared a selfie of herself with Murnaghan on Instagram, calling it "utterly devastating news" as she remembered the "legendary news journalist and presenter". She recalled the "sheer pleasure of presenting with Dermot at BBC Breakfast", and wrote: "Dermot was a serious journalist who never took himself too seriously. He was intelligent and charming, and viewers and guests loved him."
Beth Rigby said she was "deeply saddened" by Murnaghan's death, with whom she worked during Sky's coverage of the 2019 general election. Murnaghan announced his "incurable, but it's not untreatable" prostate cancer diagnosis last year and became a vocal advocate and campaigner in raising awareness of the disease.
Campaigning and legacy
Speaking on BBC Breakfast last November, he urged men in high-risk groups to get themselves checked for prostate cancer, as he admitted he delayed getting tested "because I felt fine". A spokesperson for Prostate Cancer UK said the charity was "heartbroken" by his death, adding: "He was a passionate and dedicated supporter of our charity, and his work had a huge impact on the hundreds of thousands of men affected by prostate cancer across the country."
Sharing the news of his death, Murnaghan's family said he "died peacefully with his family at his side." His wife of 37 years, Maria Keegan, and children Kitty, Molly, Alice, and Jack, wrote: "The family wish to thank the medical teams who cared for Dermot with such sensitivity and extraordinary compassion throughout his illness; also, for the many, many kind messages of goodwill that he received over the last year since his diagnosis of Stage IV prostate cancer and his subsequent campaigning to raise awareness for screening programmes for the disease."
Career highlights
Murnaghan started his presenting career in 1989, hosting Channel 4's breakfast programme and its business segments before becoming one of its lead presenters. At ITV, he hosted the Lunchtime News and News at Ten, and led the coverage of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. The award-winning journalist was a main presenter of BBC Breakfast from 2002 to 2007 and presented his own show on Sky News discussing politics and current affairs. He left Sky – where he covered the death of Queen Elizabeth II – in 2023.
