George was the 'kindest, most thoughtful, generous soul'

They worked unneurotic for 20 years and became adjacent friends. Despite progressively grim quality from medics, George Alagiah's tone remained indomitable - writes Sophie Raworth.

I person a girl called Georgia. She is 17 years old. In November 2005, connected the time she was owed to beryllium born, my hubby and I walked into a Moroccan-style structure successful a backmost plot successful northbound London. It was filled with bunting, agelong tables, nutrient and George Alagiah's full household - his woman and 2 sons, his father, 4 sisters, nieces, nephews and a fistful of adjacent friends. It was his 50th day party. A small, intimate matter for a antheral who adored his household much than thing else. When my babe yet appeared 2 weeks later, we named her Georgia aft him.

George had a affluent spirit. He radiated warmth with a fantastic grin and a velvety laugh. I archetypal worked with him successful January 2003 erstwhile we launched the caller BBC Six O'Clock News, sitting broadside by broadside successful the workplace astatine Television Centre successful westbound London. He was a overseas analogous astatine heart. That was his passion. He loved being retired connected the road, telling different people's stories. But helium besides felt enormously arrogant to beryllium asked to contiguous the BBC TV's main quality bulletins - and helium felt a existent transportation with the audience.

He was unspeakable with technology. We would laughter for hours successful the newsroom arsenic I tried to assistance him grapple with sending a substance oregon photos connected his caller mobile telephone - oregon moving his mode astir his computer. But helium was superb with words and erstwhile it came to stories helium had specified a good consciousness of judgement.

George was a antheral of large empathy. In the newsroom helium was adored and admired by the squad of producers down the scenes. He was a existent squad player. He wanted to perceive to everyone's sentiment and ne'er assumed helium was right. A antheral without ego - antithetic successful the TV satellite - helium ne'er wanted the communicative to beryllium astir him. And then, suddenly, it was.

George was diagnosed with signifier 4 bowel crab successful April 2014 astatine the property of 57. He texted maine 1 evening. "Sophie, I cognize you're connected vacation but could we person a chat? G x" - George ever texted earlier calling. He ne'er wanted to fuss people.

The crab had already dispersed to his liver. I sat connected the level listening. We talked for ages. "I conscionable anticipation I americium present and capable to person a speech with you successful 5 years time," helium said earlier hanging up. I went online. The statistic didn't look bully - conscionable a 10% accidental that helium would be.

I flew to America a fewer days aboriginal to tally the Boston Marathon. It turned into a tally for George. In conscionable a mates of days I had raised astir £10,000 for a bowel crab charity. So galore radical wanted to bash thing for him. It was a twelvemonth aft the Boston Marathon bombing. The words "Boston Strong" were written everyplace crossed the city. I flew location to London with a Boston Strong T-shirt and my medal successful my container - and gave him both.

During the pursuing months of gruelling chemotherapy and past large operations, helium took the medal with him and wore it for luck. When the attraction was yet implicit 18 months later, helium returned to enactment and returned my Boston medal to me. He'd had it framed with a representation of him and his woman successful the middle, wearing their Boston Strong T-shirts. It's connected the partition successful my room by the fridge. I grin astatine it each day.

Exactly 5 years aft George had archetypal called maine to archer maine astir his cancer, we went for luncheon connected a sunny terrace successful London to observe inactive being capable to chat. He was backmost astatine work, looking good. George seldom spoke publically astir having cancer. He said helium didn't privation to springiness a moving commentary astir his illness. But erstwhile helium did springiness interviews, helium was ever taken aback to find himself connected the beforehand leafage of newspapers. He ne'er understood the involvement successful him and conscionable however overmuch radical wanted to perceive his story.

Privately though, helium was precise unfastened astir what was happening. He thought astir it each profoundly too. Listening to him speech astir it was some moving and inspiring. He seemed to instrumentality it each successful his stride, with a calm dignity. He was not frightened.

"I answered a batch of the large questions 8 years ago," helium told maine recently. He recovered his mode of coping, ever positive, afloat of hope. At night, helium had his checklist. "Will you beryllium present time Georgie boy?" he'd inquire himself. "Yes I will," he'd reply and past spell to sleep. He someway managed to find a benignant of bid - a spot of contentment, arsenic helium aboriginal called it.

He told his squad of superb doctors that they would person to bash the worrying for him. He was going to walk the clip helium had living. What did upset him profoundly though, was the thought of leaving his household behind.

Work helped him header too. George loved being successful the newsroom, surrounded by colleagues and friends. As the rounds of chemo mounted up, helium began to find enactment physically exhausting. But mentally, helium said it was rejuvenating, being with radical who treated him arsenic they had ever done and who didn't patronise him. He kept moving for arsenic agelong arsenic helium could, contempt astatine slightest 5 large operations and much than a 100 rounds of chemotherapy.

I sat with him successful infirmary during his past circular of chemo successful May. He knew by past that helium would not beryllium coming backmost to work. But, aft 20 years of presenting the BBC News astatine Six, George did privation to accidental goodbye. Since being archetypal diagnosed with cancer, conscionable implicit 9 years ago, helium had received thousands of letters and messages from viewers who wrote to him arsenic if they knew each different - strangers who treated him arsenic a beloved friend. It touched him deeply. And truthful helium wanted to spell connected aerial 1 past time.

He had worked it each out. His program was to bash an interrogation with maine astatine the extremity of the evening quality and past crook to camera, connected his own, with a elemental goodbye. We could grounds something, I suggested. No. George wanted to bash it live. I wasn't wholly definite I would beryllium capable to clasp it together. But if helium could, I was going to person to arsenic well.

In the extremity helium didn't get to bash that. Shortly aft that speech helium was backmost successful hospital.

But contempt the progressively grim quality from the medics, his tone remained indomitable. Even towards the precise extremity helium was sending maine texts, asking astir my parent who was successful hospital, besides with bowel cancer. "How is your mum doing? You indispensable beryllium perfectly shattered. No unit to reply until 100% convenient", helium wrote. I laughed retired loud. It was truthful George. No notation astatine each of himself oregon his worsening health. He was ever reasoning astir everyone else.

George died astatine the property of 67. The kindest, astir thoughtful and generous soul. A antheral of large judgement and values. A large person who taught maine truthful overmuch astir living. I volition miss him terribly.