TV’s Mr Nice Guy Dale Winton dead at 62
Doyen of light entertainment: Dale Winton with Davina McCall
TV host Dale Winton died yesterday at home aged 62.
The star found fame hosting Supermarket Sweep, In It To Win It, Celebrity Fit Club and Pets Win Prizes.
His agent Jan Kennedy said: ‘It is with great sadness that we can confirm the passing of Dale Winton. While we know many will share this terrible loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time of grief.’ The cause of his death is not known. Tributes flooded in last night for Winton, one of Cilla black’s most trusted and loyal friends.
Davina McCall wrote: ‘I am so so so sad to hear about Dale Winton, a lovely, warm, kind, sensitive, generous soul with a touch of naughty!’
Carol Vorderman said: ‘ I’m so very shocked and sad to read the news about our Dale. He was a joy to be with at all times. rIP Dale you will be missed so much.’
Piers Morgan tweeted: ‘ rIP Dale Winton, 62. Very sad news. a warm, funny man & superb TV presenter.’
Former Dragons’ Den star Duncan bannatyne said: ‘rIP the great entertainer Dale Winton. So young at 62.’
Former boxer Frank bruno tweeted: ‘Very sad to hear that Dale Winton has
‘My face is my fortune’
passed away, too too young, my thoughts are with his family.’
actor Michael ball described him as a ‘true gentleman, charming and kind’.
Winton was born in 1955 in Marylebone, central London, the son of actress Sheree Winton and furniture salesman Gary Winner.
His parents divorced when he was ten, and his father died three years later on the day of his bar mitzvah.
Just days after his 21st birthday, he found the body of his mother, who had depression and died after taking an overdose, leaving a do-not- disturb sign on her bedroom door.
Known as ‘the English Jayne Mansfield’, she appeared in several movies in the Fifties and Sixties, including the James bond film Thunderball, and starred on TV with Frankie Howerd and Terry-Thomas.
Concerns were raised for Winton’s welfare after he missed Cilla black’s funeral in 2015.
appearing on Loose Women in 2016, he revealed he had been going through a secret battle with depression after a difficult break-up.
He added: ‘Money wasn’t the main thing. It was the series of In It To Win It that we were filming, and we had three episodes to go but people were saying, “He doesn’t look well”.
‘I had a very bad year. I should have taken myself off the TV.
‘Five years I went through it. I wanted to withdraw. If you’ve never had it, you’ll never understand it. It was triggered by a very bad break-up. God, I can’t half pick em! People are amazed at my taste.’
after Cilla black’s death, he said: ‘Cilla was a dear and close friend. above all she was the most loyal person a friend could have. She was wonderful to be around, and caring, kind and happy. She was also a brilliant wife and mother. She was a true star and a genuine national icon.’
He came out as gay in his 2002 autobiography, and said later that he hadn’t come out before because no one had asked about his sexuality.
He also admitted he was attracted bad boys, explaining: ‘It’s time I went from troubled boys to nice guys. If they’re mean and nasty, I like them.’
Winton confessed to having a nose job and two facelifts because his nose ‘wouldn’t photograph well’. He added: ‘It was the first thing you saw, before you see me. My face is my fortune.’
He started his career as a DJ in London and worked on local radio before joining the bbC in 1986. He later worked for Channel 4 and ITV, and this year filmed Dale Winton’s Florida Fly Drive for Channel 5, visiting the US state’s tourist attractions.