Radio 2 vicar Ruth Scott, 60, loses her battle against cancer
RADIO 2 broadcaster Reverend Ruth Scott, who hosted Pause For Thought, has died from cancer aged 60.
The mother-of-two told fellow BBC presenter Chris Evans earlier this month she had just weeks to live in a broadcast from her hospital bed.
She died at Southampton General Hospital on Wednesday with husband Chris and daughter Freya at her side.
Paying tribute, Head of Radio 2 Lewis Carnie said: “Reverend Ruth Scott was much loved amongst the Radio 2 family.
“Working with both Sir Terry Wogan and Chris Evans, her Pause For Thought reflections were enjoyed by millions of listeners to the Radio 2 Breakfast Show over the years.”
Ruth was one of the first female priests in the Church of England and trained as a nurse and midwife before entering the clergy.
Reverend Kate Bottley said, “We have lost a radio friend”, when she paid tribute to Ruth on Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show.
She said: “Christians, and vicars in particular, can often be accused of not living in the real world.
“That couldn’t be said of Ruth Scott. She not only lived in the real world, she wanted to change it.
“Her congregations were lucky, Ruth wasn’t your typical vicar. Few can claim to have also trained as a magician and fire eater.
“Ruth’s scripts were always honest. She was never one to dodge a harsh reality and in the last few years she spoke movingly about her illness.”
She also revealed Ruth and her husband had recently enjoyed a few days break in Cornwall during a spell when she was feeling better.
“They were out for a meal at a restaurant when the owner asked if they were celebrating anything in particular. ‘Being alive,’ Ruth said.
“The owner ripped up the bill. The meal was his gift. It was a generous present to a person who was generous with her time and her compassion.”
Ruth, who was diagnosed with lymphoma two years ago, told Evans in the February 13 interview: “I’ve got to accept the fact that I’m dying.
“I’m not frightened. I’ve had the most fantastic life. I just wish that it had been longer.”