The television presenter Judith Chalmers, best known for fronting the ITV holiday programme Wish You Were Here…?, has passed away at the age of 90.
Her relatives revealed on Friday that she had died at her residence on Thursday evening while in the company of her family, following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to her loved ones, her condition had been deteriorating for an extended period, and she had grown critically unwell in the preceding weeks, allowing her family to spend precious time together before she died.
A native of Gatley in Cheshire, she commenced her broadcasting career with the BBC when she was only 13 years old, eventually going on to host Radio programmes including Family Favourites and Woman’s Hour throughout the 1960s.
Following her work at the BBC, she went on to present ITV’s daytime magazine format Good Afternoon before taking on the role of host for Wish You Were Here…?, which consisted of half-hour episodes focusing on travel and vacation destinations, beginning in 1974.
Chalmers continued to present the programme until 2003 and received an OBE in 1994.
She is survived by her husband Neil Durden-Smith, who formerly worked as a sports commentator, along with the couple’s two children.
Following the announcement of her passing, numerous individuals shared their memories and condolences across social media platforms.
One X user wrote that it was very sad news and described her as a pioneer of travel television programming.
Another individual noted that she represented the holiday experience and the more optimistic era of the 1980s and 1990s, adding that whenever they travelled, they often recalled her reassuringly mentioning that transfers were included, which rarely proved to be the case in their own experiences.
Author Malcolm Prince described her as a lovely lady and a tremendous broadcaster.
A further comment expressed sorrow at her death and mentioned fond memories of watching Wish You Were Here! during the 1970s and 1980s, concluding with wishes for her to rest in peace.