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TV presenter Judith Chalmers, who hosted Wish You Were Here, has died

TV presenter Judith Chalmers - best known for hosting Wish You Were Here...? - has died, her family has said.

Chalmers, who was 90, died on Thursday evening. Her family said she had become seriously ill in recent weeks.

In a statement to Sky News, they said she died peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, after living with Alzheimer's in her final years.

Chalmers' family said: "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."

Fans paid tribute on social media, with one calling her "a national treasure".

Chalmers, who was born in Gatley, Cheshire, started working for the BBC when she was just 13.

In the 1960s, she presented two BBC radio programmes, Family Favourites and Woman's Hour.

She also presented the BBC's Come Dancing from 1961 to 1965.

In 1974, Chalmers started presenting ITV's travel programme Wish You Were Here...? - a gig she kept until 2003.

In the 1980s, she was a regular host of the Miss World contest on ITV, as well as the BBC's Children's Television Club which later became Blue Peter.

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

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In 2008, her 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.

She leaves behind her husband, former sports commentator Neil Durden-Smith, their two children, and six grandchildren.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: TV presenter Judith Chalmers, who hosted Wish You Were Here, has died

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