Judith Chalmers dead: Host of ITV's Wish You Were Here...? dies aged 90 after Alzheimer's battle
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Legendary TV presenter Judith Chalmers has died aged 90 after a battle with Alzheimer’s.
The Wish You Were Here…? star died peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Thursday.
The travel icon had become seriously ill over the last few weeks, her family said.
“We will miss her greatly but she leaves behind a giant suitcase of the happiest of memories.”
Dementia UK told Evening Standard in a statement: "We're sorry to hear that TV presenter Judith Chalmers has died having lived with Alzheimer’s disease and send our condolences to her family.
“We hope her family are receiving the support they need at this difficult time."
“We urge families affected by dementia to reach out to our specialist Helpline. Staffed by dementia specialist Admiral Nurses, our Helpline offers support and guidance on all stages of dementia, including grieving for a loved one.”
Chalmers presented the ITV travel show Wish You Were Here...? for three decades and was given an OBE in 1994.
Born in Cheshire, the TV star began working for the BBC aged just 13 after being selected for BBC Northern Children’s Hour.
She presented ballroom dancing competition Come Dancing for the BBC from 1961 to 1965, before moving to ITV.
Chalmers started hosting Wish You Were Here...?, a series of 30-minute shows about travel and holidays, in 1974 and fronted the show until 2003.
She hit the headlines in 2008 when she revealed she never wore knickers when appearing on the show because she didn’t want the outline of them to be visible.
Chalmers said on Loose Women that she revealed the secret when interviewer Graham Norton asked how many pairs of knickers she took on holiday.
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“Graham said, ‘Do you take one pair and wash them, two pairs and wash them, or one for every day of the week?’” she recalled.
“So I said I don’t take them, and he said, ‘You what?’”
The TV star said she made the decision after a wardrobe assistant told her she shouldn’t have a VPL (visible panty line) on television.
“So I’m sorry to reveal that after 30 years of Wish You Were Here, I was pantless all the time,” she said.
She is survived by her husband former sports commentator Neil Durden-Smith, their two kids and six grandchildren.
Anyone affected by dementia can contact the Dementia UK Helpline by calling 0800 888 6678 or emailing [email protected]