Stars pay tribute to ‘showman Cheggers’
KEITH CHEGWIN has died at the age of 60 just weeks after pledging to fans: “I will be back.”
The presenter, known for his childlike enthusiasm, became a household name, starring in the successful Multi-coloured Swap Shop followed by Cheggers Plays Pop and Saturday Superstore.
The father-of-two died at home after battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung condition. His last message posted on Twitter in September, referenced his illness with characteristic positivity. “Still not right. I will be back – But not for a bit yet. I’m so sorry,” he wrote.
Co-stars lined up to pay tribute to the star – known as Cheggers – as an “extraordi- nary showman” and a “national treasure”. Maggie Philbin, his ex-wife, who joined the line-up of Swap Shop in 1978, described his death as “heartbreaking”, adding that he was loved by all who knew and worked with him. Noel Edmonds, a Swap Shop co-star, said: “He was a very generous performer. Keith was indeed larger than life but he never stole the spotlight.”