BBC Breakfast viewers were left in tears after Louise Minchin and Susanna Reid returned to the show to pay their respects to Bill Turnbull.
Bill, who hosted BBC Breakfast from 2001 until 2016, died on Wednesday (August 31) after having prostate cancer.
BBC Breakfast tribute to Bill Turnbull
Speaking about her former colleague, Susanna said: “He mentored everybody on the programme, he was like the father of BBC Breakfast.
“He taught me everything, he taught so many of us everything about journalism, about television and about being a decent person in this industry… he was kind, compassionate and wise and a great friend and I loved every minute of being with him, I’m going to really miss him.”
Louise added: “I think it was kindness and generosity with his time and even when I was still in contact with him – we’re still members of a lottery syndicate which I’m still playing and I will go on playing, by the way. But he always was kind with his time.”
She also spoke about how he gave her advice when she decided to leave BBC Breakfast.
“So for example, when I took the decision to leave BBC Breakfast, the first person, one of the first people, I talked about making that decision was Bill, and you know, he was ill at the time, but he took time out of his day to have a long conversation with me about that,” she said.
Fans were left in tears by the tributes
Taking to Twitter, many viewers couldn’t help but express their emotions about the segment.
One person said: “Sitting here in tears this morning was watching the tributes to Bill Turnbull on @BBCBreakfast. Had to turn off the TV as it’s way too close to home for me. Now feeling awful for doing that.”
‘He was the best’
Former BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid said Bill Turnbull was ‘the funniest, kindest, most supportive’ of all her on screen partners https://t.co/ECHXRPc3Rl pic.twitter.com/DzNhXTg9rn— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) September 2, 2022
A second wrote: “Watching the tribute to #BillTurnbull @BBCBreakfast with tears rolling down my face. Recently widowed myself how lovely for his family to see their beloved husband, father, brother… exalted so lovingly lots of love to all of you.”
“Shed quite a few tears this morning watching the wonderful tributes to the lovely Bill,” another said.
A fourth user added: “Such a lovely man I’ll not lie there‘s been tears this morning.”
Read more: Strictly fans in tears over ‘beautiful’ throwback tribute to Bill Turnbull
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.