Former Top Gear and Fifth Gear presenter Quentin Willson has sadly passed away at the age of 68 after a brief battle with lung cancer, his family have confirmed.
In a moving statement, the family called Quentin, who died on Saturday, a “true national treasure”. They also said he “brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms”.
The statement read: “The family of Quentin Willson, television presenter and producer, motoring journalist, author, and campaigner, wish to announce that he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Saturday 8th November, following a short battle with lung cancer. He was 68.
“A true national treasure, Quentin brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms.
“He helped shape the original Top Gear as one of its first hosts, working alongside Jeremy Clarkson and the team who took the pioneering show global.”
Quentin Wilson has died ( EVA Scotland)
Born in Birmingham in 1957, he was a well-known motoring journalist and broadcaster who graced our screens on Top Gear throughout the 90s before making the switch to Fifth Gear in 2001.
Quentin first joined the BBC in 1991 to co-host the original version of Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson. Until the show’s original format was cancelled in 2001, he was a weekly fixture on the programme, typically sharing his expertise on used cars.
Throughout his illustrious career spanning several decades, he penned motoring columns for national newspapers and magazines, authored numerous books on cars and buying guides.
Beyond journalism, Willson became a prominent campaigner on motoring issues. He co-founded FairFuelUK in 2010.
It is a pressure group lobbying for lower fuel duty and more transparent fuel pricing. Quentin frequently represented motorists on radio and TV, discussing taxation, road safety and transport policy.
Quentin Willson, Jeremy Clarkson, Steve Berry, Vicki Butler Henderson, Tiff Needell, Tony Mason and Michelle Newman Top Gear presenters ( BBC)
He also presented several other TV series, including Britain’s Worst Driver, The Car’s the Star, All-Revved Up and property-focused programmes such as Property Ladder. In addition to broadcasting, he ran a classic-car consultancy and was involved in the heritage car sector, including work promoting British automotive history, reports MyLondon.
Among those paying their respects with message of condolence following the news was owner of Lister Motor Company, Lawrence Whittaker. He shared a number of images to his Twitter/X account.
And he penned alongside the snaps: “I am so utterly devastated to hear that Quentin Willson has passed away. He was the architect of the Warrantywise plan and revolutionised, not just the car warranty market, but through his campaigning and journalism – made the entire UK Motor Trade a better place.
“He was the most knowledgeable person I ever met when it came to cars and was such a pro behind the camera. We worked closely together for over 10 years and my thoughts go out to his wife and family at this difficult time. He will be sorely missed by all. God speed Q!”
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Georgia Tennant met her husband David Tennant when they were both working on the set of Doctor Who and have been inseparable ever since
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The pair tied the knot in 2011
David Tennant’s wife Georgia Tennant has revealed that she has been receiving death threats. The actress took to social media to tell her fans about the scary situation.
She said that she has reached out to the police to get involved after the situation began to escalate. The 40-year-old found fame through her acting career.
She is known for playing Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon’s daughter Abigail in The Bill, Jenny in the Doctor Who episode The Doctor’s Daughter and Lady Vivian in the show Merlin. She is the daughter of Doctor Who actor Peter Davison and his ex-wife Sandra Dickinson.
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Georgia tied the knot with David Tennant back in 2011 after they first crossed paths on the set of long-running BBC Doctor Who.
The couple have been vocal about their support for the LGBTQ+ community over the years, especially trans people. Georgia tagged the Metropolitan Police when she shared the vile messages she had received.
Back in September, Georgia called for Facebook bosses to take action when a post was shared that said: “Whoever kills Georgia Tennant immediately will receive a reward from me.”
Posting a statement, she wrote: “Just been sent this by a friend. Out of curiosity, Facebook, what would constitute a breach of community standards?”
The star then went on to share a screenshot of a moderator’s response who said that it did not need breach the platform’s rules so didn’t need to be taken down.
The same account had already written nasty comments to Georgia before. This included ‘Soon there will be an obituary to read of a certain person’ and ‘Georgia Tennant must be killed’.
The account then wrote: “David Tennant and I are meant for each other, we both belong together, and I will do everything to make David Tennant and I together.”
Georgia and David has five children together including Wilfred. Georgia has previously posted photos of her who family wearing rainbow colours for Pride. Back in July 2023, David took part in a promotional photoshoot for hit Amazon Prime programme Good Omens where he wore a t shirt that said “Leave trans kids alone, you absolute freaks”. Last year’s Baftas saw Georgia show off the tattoo on her wrist that reads: “Trans rights are human rights.”
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The Mirror contacted Georgia Tennant’s reps for comment.
Loose Women’s Charlene White broke the news of her family member’s tragic death during a post on Instagram last month, admitting “two weeks ago our lives changed forever”
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Charlene White has revealed how she ‘burst into tears’ as she returned home following the tragic loss of one of her family members(Image: Getty Images for BAFTA)
ITV News presenter Charlene White has opened up on the outpouring of love and support she has experienced following the tragic death of her dad, who took his own life earlier this year.
Last month, the Loose Women panellist took to Instagram to share the saddening news, speaking of the “hurt, pain, shock [and] grief” that she and her family had been going through.
Now, in her latest column for The i Paper, she opened up about the support of family, friends, neighbours and even school parents in the days and weeks that followed the loss.
Addressing the tragedy, she wrote: “My body and mind haven’t really accepted what has happened, and it will probably be some time before I am able to express how I feel or the impact on our family.”
However, while she is still struggling to come to terms with the huge bereavement, she added that one thing has brought her huge comfort: “But what I can share is how much the outpouring of kindness from those near and far has helped my family navigate this collision course.”
Recalling how she stayed at her aunt’s house in the days following her dad’s death, she explained how she was overcome with the amount of love and support that her friends and neighbours provided, saying that they brought a “constant stream of freshly cooked food, drinks, snacks and alcohol” to help comfort her and her family.
After finally returning back to her home address for the first time, she recalls how she was hit with a wave of emotions once again: “Six days later, when I finally went to my own house for the night, I burst into tears.
“I was standing in a kitchen full of flowers from friends and colleagues, and cards written with words that hit my heart in so many different ways. Frozen food was delivered by neighbours and families from school.”
Over the years, Charlene has become an ever-present star on our screens having presented news coverage on ITV since 2008.
She has also made history by becoming the first black woman to present the ITV News at Ten.
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Meanwhile, Charlene also regularly appears on Loose Women after first landing the position back in 2021. She has also tried her luck on reality TV, appearing in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2022.
Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be replaced on the show next year, after revealing that the current series will be their last
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Amanda Holden shared her thoughts on Strictly’s potential new presenters(Image: Instagram/Heart Radio)
Amanda Holden has shared her thoughts on the rumoured names in the mix to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing. Last month, the presenters announced they will be leaving the show after co-hosting together for over 10 years.
Since then, many famous names have been put forward as potential replacements including Bradley Walsh, Zoe Ball and Alex Jones.
Sharing her thoughts about the latest predictions, Amanda appeared apprehensive about Bradley, before insisting she’d prefer the replacements to be females.
Speaking with her co-stars Ashley Roberts and Jamie Theakston on Heart Radio Breakfast, she said: “I like the idea of Alex Jones, and I love Zoe and I also love Bradley, I don’t know, I still keep thinking girls more than boys.
“I quite like the idea of Alex Jones, she’s funny. I’m enjoying the sort of lottery of people, I’m enjoying it, the guess work.”
Previously discussing the topic on an earlier edition of the show, the 54-year-old said replacing Tess and Claudia will be “tricky”.
While she didn’t name anyone specifically, the presenter went on to say that some of the names mentioned so far were “just boring”.
“I’m like, think left-field, think of somebody that can dance, that’s been on the show,” she said.
In response, her co-star Ashley, who competed on Strictly in 2018, said: “Could it be me? Let’s toss my name in the mix.”
Amanda replied: “I’ll tell you the other thing, as well, is it’s a big commitment, there’s, you know, lots of weekends taken up, but I think you’d be alright.”
Ashley went on to say she’d “absolutely love it”, though confirmed Strictly bosses “haven’t reached out yet”.
Tess and Claudia announced that this series will be their last in an Instagram video. As part of a joint statement, they said: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream.
“We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show.”
They went on to say: “We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. “Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”
Tess has been fronting the show since the very beginning, firstly with the now late Bruce Forsyth followed by Claudia.
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The latter joined the main show 2014, having hosted Strictly’s sister show It Takes Two since 2004.
For now, the pair continue to front the current series, where nine dancing duos remain in the hope of winning the Glitterball trophy.
Loose Women presenter Ruth Langsford has opened up about her overwhelming concerns over being diagnosed with a devastating condition, which could run in her family
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Ruth Langsford has shared her health fears
TV star Ruth Langsford, 65, has admitted she constantly feels “really frightened” about her health after her late father, Dennis Langsford, started showing “signs” of dementia when he was in his late sixties.
In an exclusive interview, the star, who became a household name while hosting ITV’s This Morning alongside her estranged husband Eamonn Holmes, explained that when she has a “complete and utter blank” and can’t remember someone’s name, she always fears the worst.
Ruth’s concerns quickly escalated when her mother, Joan Langsford, was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. When asked about whether she worries about a potential genetic link, Ruth admitted: “All the time, literally all the time, if I ever have a senior moment where I go, ‘what’s her name again?’, somebody that I know quite well, and I have a complete and utter blank, it really frightens me.
“I’m 65 now, my dad was officially diagnosed when he was 72. But looking back on it, we think he was displaying signs, we just didn’t know what they were – but he was in his late 60s and I’m 65.
“And so I do have those moments, and I just, I tell myself, ‘no, no, it’s just because you’re busy, or mind’s busy’. You never know, and I don’t want to know, actually.”
The Loose Women presenter went on to insist that she would refuse to take a test to find out if she’s at risk of developing the condition, as there’s no cure.
Ruth explained: “They all say, ‘if there was a test, would you take it?’ I go, ‘why? What’s the point unless there’s a cure?’
“If I could take a test, and they said, ‘if you take the test, we could stop it happening’, 100% I would take the test, but they can’t, and I know what’s ahead.
“Of course I worry about it with both parents having had dementia, but I just think, what will be will be.”
The mum-of-one went on to say that she tries to do everything she can to boost her cognitive health as she gets older.
Ruth shared: “I do crosswords and things like that. And I’m very active because I’m still very busy with work, they say that helps. So, yeah, I do worry.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Society website, the majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there might be a strong genetic link, but these are only a small proportion of overall cases.
Strictly’s Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington have had quite the journey already. Here they open up about their special bond, Kai’s bromance’ with Vicky’s hubby and her big plans for next year
We’ve watched Vicky Pattison go from a self-confessed nervous wreck to offering up some fabulously assured dance routines on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. And her pro partner Kai Widdrington – the caring, perfectly measured match to Vicky’s sparky energy – tells us he truly believes she “has the tools to go all the way”.
He clearly feels like he’s won already as he calls warm, straight-talking Vicky “the beating heart of the celeb group this year” during their glamorous OK! shoot.
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It’s already been quite a journey. Vicky, 37, who married businessman Ercan Ramadan last August, has battled severe anxiety since stepping out onto the fabled dance floor. But she happily tells us she’s “turning a corner” – and she hopes she’ll inspire others to be a bit braver.
She admits with a giggle that she could have been doing something very different with her Saturday nights this year (clue: it involves nappy changes). “At the start of this year, I said to Ercan, I’m either gonna do Strictly , a second series of Honesty Box or we’re going to have a baby. When I got the call for Strictly he was over the moon,” she laughs.
While readily admitting they’ve had less quality time together since she joined the Strictly juggernaut, seeing how caring he’s been while she juggles it all, has convinced Vicky he’ll make an amazing dad.
“So yes, kids are definitely on the cards next year. I think he’s looking forward to it now. He probably thinks I’ll be at home a bit more, which he’s thrilled about,” she says.
She recently admitted that Sundays at home with hubby are “sacred” to her right now. So how is she coping being away from Ercan and their two beloved pooches? “Going home to Ercan and the dogs, I’m so grateful for that,” she says. “I can snap out of whatever steps are flying around in my head and be with my family. I need that moment.”
Ercan recently flew to see his family in Cyprus for a week – the only time he’s missed seeing her perform live – and his absence hit her hard. “I told him to go. I said, ‘All I’m doing is coming home and whining that I’m tired, then I go to bed.’ But the minute he left, I realised how much I missed him and needed him. He’s my anchor and he spoils me rotten.
“He wakes me up every morning with my electrolytes, my collagen, ready to go to Strictly school. He texts about what I want for dinner and he’s being the best dog dad. There’s a real sense of role reversal, in the traditional sense, right now. It’s progressive and it takes a special man to do that.”
Southampton-born Kai, who started dancing at the age of nine, the same year Strictly first aired on telly, has struck up a lovely bond with Vicky’s other half, too. Apparently they spend most of their time talking about football, alongside Ercan’s lookalike brother. “Kai and Ercan have a little bromance going,” Vicky tells us. “He’s gone down a storm with my family and friends and I love his gorgeous girlfriend Chloe.”
They even talked about going on a double date – before realising it would be nigh on impossible with a brand new dance to learn every week. “We were so full of it at the start of this process,” Vicky admits. “A double-date, what?! Nobody’s got time for that!”
Kai admits he had zero preconceptions about former Heart Radio presenter Vicky before they met, other than knowing she was a total novice at dancing. He is visibly delighted by how much she’s progressed. “If I’d shown her what she’s achieved in our most recent dances, she wouldn’t have believed it. But why stop now? We might as well go the whole way,” he says confidently.
Vicky agrees, saying it’s “mindblowing” when she recalls how she struggled to even clap on time during the first group dance. Since then, she’s performed a beautiful American Smooth, the Couple’s Choice dance to Cheryl Cole’s Fight For This Love and even the notoriously tricky samba.
“Oh man, the samba. If you’d told me seven weeks ago I’d love that dance, I’d have called you a liar. Yet here I am. A big, samba-loving Geordie,” she laughs.
The fact that Cheryl – who she’s idolised since she was a teenager – sent her a personal message of support is something she’s still coming to terms with. “That was one of the best moments of my life. I might only top it when I have my first kid,” she says.
Vicky remembers Cheryl once walking into the clothes shop where she used to work on Saturdays in Newcastle. “She came in with a little black top and a baseball cap on, the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen and dead polite. She said, ‘Have you got this in an extra small?’ and we ran away looking for it. But the minute she left, we lost our minds! I met her after I did the jungle too – she’s so sweet and humble.”
Throughout our chat, it’s clear what a lovely synergy Vicky and Kai have. “He sussed out early doors how to get the best out of me,” she says. “I’ll work hard, but I need my little breaks, a bit of craic. Outside of this incredible experience I’m just a human being, trying my best.”
She hopes the two of them will be friends for life. “Kai’s got really good previous, to be fair. He just went to Angela Rippon ’s 81st birthday. Maybe he’ll be at my 81st birthday party too. I don’t feel like it’s far off, the way my body’s feeling at the minute,” she jokes.
And Kai, who’s been a pro on the show for five years, explains that after two months of dancing together he knows what makes Vicky tick. “I know what to say, what not to say, when to give her space. And unlike her, I’m never worried. She always pulls it out of the bag.”
She’s certainly come a long way since the start of her Strictly journey. Despite being a mega-fan whose dream for years was to do the show one day, even she was shocked by how crippling her anxiety was ahead of her first performance.
“It was such a huge step out of my comfort zone. That’s a very scary place to be,” she admits. “I’m an open book, so I don’t regret being so transparent about how tough it was. But I was really shocked at how all-consuming it was at first. I’d be visibly shaking and… yeah, there were a lot of tears.”
She admits to being a “nervous girlie” and says her anxiety is getting worse the older she gets. “When you’re younger, you’re completely fearless. I’m definitely not any more. I’m afraid of almost everything.”
But she’s ready to change the narrative, she says. “Maybe watching me do this, though I’m really scared, will give people faith that they can do amazing things if they go outside their comfort zone, you know?
“And Kai does this lovely thing – he turns to me before we go out on the dance floor and says, ‘We’re just dancing. Just me and you – just dance with me.’ It’s so powerful and so lovely. The outside noise just drifts away.”
Kai has never seen anyone quite like Vicky when it comes to sharing the other celebs’ triumphs.
He says, “Sometimes, watching the others, you’re aware it’s a competition and seeing a couple smash a dance, you’re happy but there might be mixed feelings. I’ve never seen someone as genuinely happy for others doing well as Vicky. Every other celeb this year would say that, I think. But she’s so good at making other people feel better, she sometimes forgets about herself.”
Vicky admits the other celebrities already feel like family, and says each elimination is “a heartache”. “We’ve all got a special bond, but my favourite people are George [Clarke], Bavinder [Sopal] and La Voix. I really miss Chris Robshaw, he was like my big brother. Lewis [Cope] is a lovely lad, and I love his girlfriend. And Caz [Karen Carney] is always checking in.”
Vicky also credits her bestie Pete Wicks for being her rock. Pete reached the semi-final of Strictly last year with Jowita Przystal. “He’s been my biggest cheerleader,” Vicky says. “He’s been to see us twice and he calls me every show day to check in.”
Vicky and Kai’s series is already proving to be a historic one, as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman made the bombshell announcement that this will be their last outing as hosts. How do they feel about it?
“The pair of them have done so much for women in television,” Vicky says. “ Strictly will continue to be this sparkly piece of TV that brings joy to millions, but it is the end of an era. They deserve a chance to enjoy their Saturday nights though.”
Her own stint on Strictly is far from over, but taking part makes Vicky feel like the sky’s the limit. “Every time I do something, whether it’s eating kangaroo balls in the jungle or being thrown out of a helicopter on Celeb SAS , I’m scared,” she says. “But coming out the other side, you feel incredible. If I can dance on Strictly , there’s nothing I can’t do.”
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Strictly Come Dancing continues on ITV on Saturday at 6.25pm
