This Morning remembered Denise Robertson in an emotional tribute show following her death from pancreatic cancer at the age of 83 – leaving fans sobbing on their sofas as they looked back at their favourite TV agony aunt.
Presenter Eamonn Holmes broke his sick leave to join his wife Ruth Langsford on the sofa to host the ITV programme – and viewers were touched by how they handled the difficult task of saying goodbye to Denise.
A host of her celebrity friends and ITV colleagues phoned the show to share their memories, including co-presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby who called from their holiday destinations.
An emotional Holly said: “Whatever she did on screen was just the tip of the iceberg really… she did so much behind the scenes that nobody saw… there was nothing she wouldn’t do. It’s just so sad.”
Phillip said that since hearing the news of her illness in February, despite everyone wanting her to return to work, “deep down we knew she was never going to make it back”.
Married TV duo Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan also rang in, with Madeley saying the news “hasn’t come as the blind-sided shock that Ronnie Corbett’s death was yesterday”.
He added: “She did something we all strive to do – she actually made a difference.”
Robertson’s long-time friend Paul O’Grady described her as “feisty, warm, funny and genuine”.
There was a lot of praise for the tributes throughout the show:
Downton Abbey’s Laura Carmichael appeared on the show to talk about her role in the TV drama Marcella, and added her own tribute to Robertson, saying: “She was part of my childhood growing up” – and lots of vieweres agreed.
The “matriarch of This Morning” announced six weeks ago that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Her death was announced on This Morning’s official Twitter and Facebook pages, and the special show left viewers in floods of tears.
RIP Denise.
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