Tributes to weather presenter who brought ‘sunshine to everybody’ after her death at 51
THE COMEDIAN Peter Kay told her on air that she had brought “sunshine for everybody”, but the death of BBC weather presenter Dianne Oxberry, at 51, left her colleagues in shock yesterday.
The mother of two young children, who had been suffering from cancer, died at Manchester’s Christie Hospital, just a few weeks after she had last appeared on screen.
Broadcasters Dan Walker, Simon Mayo and Jane Garvey were among those who paid tribute to Ms Oxberry, who presented the news and weather on the Radio 1 shows of Mayo and Steve Wright in the 1980s before moving to the BBC’s regional televisoon show, North West Tonight, in 1994.
A montage of her “favourite moments”, including the one with Kay, was shown on the programme as a tribute.
Her cameraman husband, Ian Hindle, said she was an “amazing wife and mother who embraced life to the full”.
He added: “She was an inspiration to all who knew and loved her but also to the people who watched and welcomed her into their homes each night as if she were part of their family too.”
“The children and I will miss her more than anyone can imagine.”
Walker, the host of BBC Breakfast, said: “This is incredibly sad. What an amazing woman Dianne was and such a professional broadcaster. Devastating news for her family. Heartbreaking.”
Ms Garvey, host of Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, added: “Dianne was a formidable voice for women at the BBC, a fantastically supportive colleague. Thank you for speaking up.”
Mayo wrote on Twitter: “She was a wonderful, joyous part of our breakfast team at Radio 1. I loved working with her.”
Born in Sunderland, Ms Oxberry had joined the BBC after studying at the Met Office College.
North West Tonight presenter Roger Johnson said: “We are heartbroken by Dianne’s death. It is almost impossible to comprehend. Dianne was North West Tonight. It’s hard to imagine the programme without her.”