A memorial service for Dianne Oxberry was held at Manchester Cathedral on Thursday afternoon, where BBC friends and colleagues gathered to pay their respects.
The Inside Out presenter died after a short battle with ovarian cancer on January 10, 2019 at the age of 51.
Among the familiar faces attending the service this week were Claire Balding, Roger Johnson, Annabel Tiffin and Gordon Burns.
Mourners carried a funeral programme with Dianne’s headshot on the front, and reportedly heard how she was considered ‘north west royalty’ at the Manchester Cathedral service.
Dianne died at Christie Hospital in Manchester last month, and is survived by her husband and two young children.
Her friend and colleague Annabel Tiffin, who was seen hugging another guest outside the service, was one of the first to pay tribute after news of Dianne’s passing.
In a statement: ‘This is an enormous shock for all of us. I can scarcely believe Dianne has died. She was loved by our viewers, by all of us at North West Tonight. My heart breaks for her family.
‘Di was so talented, so beautiful, so funny and so full of life. On screen she was a star, radiating warmth and good humour. Off screen, she was a wonderful colleague, a loyal friend and I will miss her terribly.’
Her death also left BBC North West Tonight colleague Gordon Burns visibly upset when he returned to the program the day after her passing.
He held back tears on the show as he said: ‘The whole region is so shocked, devastated and heart-broken. I just cannot believe it.’
‘She was such an outstanding broadcaster. She was brilliant. When she looked down the camera she connected with the people who were watching.’
Dianne began her career as the North West’s weather presenter in 1994.
But she went on to present current affairs show Inside Out North West, as well as working alongside Simon Mayo and Steve Wright on BBC Radio 1.
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