George Alagiah wrote his own eulogy that brought everyone to tears at his funeral.
George Alagiah wrote his own eulogy that brought everyone to tears at his funeral
The BBC newsreader passed away in July at the age of 67 after a long nine-year battle with bowel cancer, and a memorial service was held this week at London’s St. Martin-in-the-Fields church with lots of his former BBC colleagues paying their respects.
Fellow presenter Sophie Haworth, 55, read George’s eulogy, in which he urged everyone to cherish their loved ones.
She said: “We end the programme today with George in his own words. If you haven’t already told the people you love, that you love them, tell them. If you haven’t already told them how vulnerable you sometimes feel, tell them.
“If you want to tell them that you would like to be with them until the front hall stairs feel like Everest, tell them. You never know what is coming around the corner. And if, lucky you, there is nothing around the corner, then at least you got your defence in first.”
Other stars present at the memorial included Mishal Husain, Fiona Bruce, Nick Robinson and Sian Williams.
Three weeks before his passing, he shared with his wife the words he wanted to be shared at his memorial.
According to the BBC, he said: “It is a painful yet exclusive luxury to be living with cancer because for the most part it is a story of a death foretold.
“Many of us cancer patients know that our time is running out so there is time for reflection. It is not the brutality of a car crash.”
George had been the face of BBC One’s News at Six since 2007. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014, and ultimately left the programme in 2022 after having his cancer had spread.
During an interview with The Guardian in 2020, the presenter emphasised that although he may not survive his battle with the disease, he was thankful for the life he lived.
He said: “On being diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2014, I constructed a pros and cons list of how my life had gone so far. The things that had gone well far outweighed the others, which brought me to a place of total contentment.
“When you’re closer to your last day, you live each one with an intensity you couldn’t have previously imagined. Of course I wish I never had this disease, but I’m not sure I’d give these six years back.
“With friends, family and colleagues I’ve shared experiences and thoughts that we otherwise wouldn’t have had.”