George Alagiah was one of many BBC’s longest-serving newsreaders
G
eorge Alagiah was a preferred and reassuring presence behind a BBC News desk for greater than 20 years, his unflappable manner making him a success with viewers.
He joined the company in 1989 and was one of many broadcaster’s main overseas correspondents, submitting dispatches on topics starting from the Rwandan genocide to civil wars throughout Africa.
Alagiah was born within the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo in 1955 when the town was nonetheless thought of a part of the previous British territory of Ceylon.
During the BBC’s protection of the 2004 Asian tsunami, he returned to the nation to search out that his grandfather’s former house had been destroyed within the pure catastrophe.
Alagiah was compelled to take a break from tv following his bowel most cancers prognosis in 2014 and shared updates as he battled the illness, together with in June 2020 when he revealed it had unfold to his lungs.
Alagiah spent half his of childhood in Ghana in west Africa the place he moved together with his engineer father Donald and mom Therese.
He moved to the UK to attend secondary faculty in Portsmouth after which he learn politics at Durham University.
During his research at Durham he was the editor of the coed paper and a sabbatical officer of the scholars’ union.
It was there that he met his spouse Frances Robathan. The couple married in 1984 and share two sons Adam and Matthew.
Before beginning with the BBC in 1989, Alagiah was based mostly in Johannesburg as growing world correspondent for South Magazine.
He was named Amnesty International’s journalist of the 12 months in 1994 for reporting on the civil struggle in Burundi and likewise received the Broadcasting Press Guild’s award for tv journalist of the 12 months.
He was additionally a part of the BBC staff that received a Bafta Award in 2000 for its reporting of the battle in Kosovo, one in all a number of prizes he acquired throughout his broadcasting profession.
After first presenting BBC Four News in 2002 he went on to co-anchor the firms 6pm news bulletin, first alongside Sophie Raworth after which Natasha Kaplinsky.
From 2007 he was the programmes sole presenter whereas he was additionally a reduction presenter for News at Ten.
He interviewed a number of world leaders together with Nelson Mandela, Robert Mugabe and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In 2008, he was made an OBE within the New Year Honours record for companies to journalism.
The following 12 months he was requested by the BBC’s administration to step down from his function as a patron of the Fairtrade Foundation.
The company defined that based mostly on its ideas of impartiality his function with the group represented knowledgeable battle of curiosity.
It was first introduced in April 2014 that he had been recognized with bowel most cancers. It was later revealed the illness had unfold to his liver and lymph nodes.
After present process therapy he revealed on social media in October 2015 that he would return to work, subsequently showing on-screen in November.
An ever-popular presenter, his return was welcomed by viewers and his fellow journalists, together with presenters of competing news programmes.
In 2016, Alagiah mentioned he was a “richer person” for his most cancers prognosis, which noticed him bear a number of rounds of chemotherapy and three main operations, one in all which included the removing of most of his liver.
Alagiah’s well being was again within the headlines in March 2020, when amid a worldwide pandemic he examined constructive for Covid-19.
He credited his expertise of preventing most cancers with serving to him take care of the “mild” case of coronavirus.
In June 2020, Alagiah revealed the most cancers had unfold to his lungs however delivered a usually philosophical judgment.
He advised the Times newspaper: “My doctors have never used the word ‘chronic’ or ‘cure’ about my cancer.
“They’ve never used the word ‘terminal’ either. I’ve always said to my oncologist, ‘Tell me when I need to sort my affairs out’, and he’s not told me that, but what he did tell me is that the cancer is now in a third organ. It is in my lungs.”
Alagiah mentioned he had stored the event a secret, solely telling his editor.
He mentioned: “I said to my doctor, ‘You’re going to have to do the worrying for me.’ I don’t want to fill my mind with worry. I just know that he’s a clever guy, doing everything he can.”
In October 2021, a consultant for Alagiah introduced that he could be taking a step again from his presenting and journalism duties as he offers with “a further spread of cancer”.
During an interview in January 2022, Alagiah spoke candidly about his lengthy battle with most cancers, saying “it will get me in the end,” earlier than including “I’m hoping it’s a long time from now, but I’m very lucky”.
Despite his matter of truth strategy to the illness, Alagiah remained constructive when reflecting on his profession and household life.
“I had to stop and say, ‘Hang on a minute. If the full stop came now, would my life have been a failure?’,” he mentioned.
He added: “And actually, when I look back and I looked at my journey… the family I had, the opportunities my family had, the great good fortune to bump into (Frances Robathan), who’s now been my wife and lover for all these years, the kids that we brought up… it didn’t feel like a failure.”
Alagiah briefly returned to BBC News At Six in April 2022.
However, in October he as soon as once more introduced that he had been compelled to take time away from his work after scans confirmed that the most cancers had unfold additional.
While sharing the news, Alagiah mentioned: “A recent scan showed that my cancer has spread further so it’s back to some tough stuff.
“I’m missing my colleagues. Working in the newsroom has been such an important part of keeping energised and motivated.
“I look forward to being back in that studio as soon as I can.”
Away from journalism, Alagiah was a broadcast writer and his debut novel was shortlisted for a Society Of Authors award.
His thriller The Burning Land, about corruption and murder in South Africa, was within the working for the Paul Torday memorial prize, which is awarded to a primary novel by a author over 60.