Judith Chalmers, presenter of holiday show Wish You Were Here, dies aged 90

TELEVISION PRESENTER JUDITH Chalmers, who hosted the travel show Wish You Were Here…?, has died aged 90. 

In a statement to ITV News, her family said Chalmers died peacefully at home on Thursday surrounded by her family, after she had become ill in recent weeks.

It read: “After living an extraordinary life that involved over 60 years in broadcasting and countless adventures all over the globe, Judy sadly passed away last night, surrounded by the family she loved so much after suffering with Alzheimer’s for some years.

“We will miss her greatly but she leaves behind a giant suitcase of the happiest of memories.”

The Cheshire-born presenter began her career at the BBC aged just 13, where she went on to present radio programmes such as Woman’s Hour and Family Favourites in the 1960s, before going on to present ITV magazine show Good Afternoon.

She also presented the BBC’s Come Dancing from 1961 to 1965, and the Miss World contest on ITV in the 1980s, as well as the BBC’s Children’s Television Club which later became Blue Peter.

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Her TV appearances were reduced in her later years, however she made appearances on shows such as ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show and Channel 5’s Celebrity Taste of Italy.

Chalmers was best known for her role on Wish You Were Here…?, which she presented from 1974 to 2003.

The series of 30-minute shows saw presenters taking the viewers to different travel destinations around the world.

In 2008, her TV presenter son Mark Durden-Smith hosted a new version of the show, called Wish You Were Here…? Now & Then, which saw locations from the show’s original series revisited to see how they had changed.

In 1994, Chalmers was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to broadcasting.

She was married to sports presenter Neil Durden-Smith from 1964 until her death. They had two children. 

With reporting from Press Association

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