Rachel Riley has paid tribute to Nick Hewer after he filmed his last-ever 'Countdown' episode.
Nick Hewer
The 35-year-old TV presenter admitted the Channel 4 game show will "not be the same" without the 77-year-old star - who will be replaced by Anne Robinson - after he quit the programme in December after a decade.
She wrote on Twitter: "After nearly a whole decade, it’s not going to be the same around here without Hewer the Skewer! (sic)"
Earlier this week, Rachel paid tribute to Marcel Stellman - who brought 'Countdown' to the UK after watching the French game show 'Des Chiffres et des Lettres' (Numbers and Letters) - following his death aged 96.
She tweeted: "Sad news at the loss of the man who brought Countdown to the UK.
"Marcel was the most kind-hearted man with stories to tell from decades in the music industry working with everyone there was to work with, and all that time with lovely Jeannie.
"May his memory be a blessing."
'Countdown' lexicographer Susie Dent posted: "Very sad news for the Countdown family today: with the death of Marcel Stellman we have lost our patriarch and most passionate advocate. He brought to the UK a format that almost everyone has played and loved. And we loved him. #RIPMarcel (sic)"
Nick remembered Marcel as a "kind and talented man".
He tweeted: "As I prepare for my final Countdown recording block tomorrow, I shall remember Marcel Stellman, founder of Coutdown, who died last night, with great fondness. He was very kind and supportive when I was appointed host nearly 10 years ago. A kind and talented man. RIP mon vieux. (sic)"
In December, Nick confirmed he would depart 'Countdown' at the end of his contract.
He tweeted: "Delighted to be back in the Countdown studio after another enforced lockdown, BUT this latest lockdown has given me an opportunity to consider my future life and I’ve decided it’s a good time to step down at the end of my contract in the New Year.
"As someone in his 77th year, who will be in his 10th year hosting the great British institution that is Countdown, I think it’s time to smell the flowers and get a dog.
"But let me now take the opportunity to say that it’s been a privilege and a pleasure to take the helm of Countdown, first broadcast broadcast back in 1982 and still a Guinness recordholder and although I’ll be on your screens well into 2021, let me thank the broadcasters Channel 4, the truly dedicated and unwaveringly professional studio crew and production staff at ITV Studios who make the programmes, all 250 or so a year, my wonderfully talented co-hosts Susie Dent and Rachel Riley but above all, the quirky genius of producer Damian Eadie, who never ceases to amuse and who always demands the best of us. (sic)"
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