George Alagiah Biography and Wiki
George Alagiah was an author and an award-winning journalist who served as the presenter of the BBC News at Six. Before that, he was the presenter of GMT on BBC World News. Alagiah died on July 24, 2023, after he was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2014.
George Alagiah Age
Alagiah was 67 years old at the time of his demise. He was born on 22nd November 1955 in Colombo, Ceylon, Sri Lanka.
George Alagiah Height and Weight
Alagiah was 5 feet 9 inches tall (approximately 1.75m or 175cm). He also weighed around 75 kg (165 lbs).
George Alagiah Nationality
He was a British national born and raised in Colombo, Ceylon. He also belongs to the mixed race.
George Alagiah Education
Alagiah went to Christ International School in Ghana to pursue his primary education. Later on, he joined a Roman Catholic school in Portsmouth, England. He also studied Politics at Van Mildert College, Durham University. While in Durham he wrote articles for the students’ newspaper Palatinate. He also served as an editor for the newspaper.
George Alagiah Parents and Siblings
George was the son of Donald Alagiah and Therese Alagiah. His parents both Sri Lankan Tamil raised him alongside his four sisters; Mari, Rachel, Christine, and Jennifer. He was the third born and he had two elder sisters and two younger ones.
His father was a civil engineer. In 1961, his parents relocated to Ghana in West Africa where his father got a government job. However, in 1996 his mother passed on.
In 2003 his father’s condition worsen. Donald had leukemia in a low-grade form for years, managed with pills, but then in 2003 it became more acute and he needed chemotherapy and blood transfusions. Years later, Donald is alive and living independently. Thanks to the team that saved his life including his son, George.
George Alagiah Wife and Children
Was George Alagiah married? George was married to Frances Robathan. The couple tied the knot in 1984. George met Frances in the seventies while the pair were both studying at Durham University.
Speaking to the Telegraph last year, George said that the ‘one thing that haunts him’ is ‘whether or not he’ll be able to hold his wife’s hand at the end’.
“I’m not too scared for myself, but I’m here on the third floor of our house,” he said.
“And I am looking out of the window at Frances setting out the tablecloth on our garden table, and it occurs to me, is she going to have to do that for herself one day, and eat on her own?”.
After graduating from university, Frances entered the charity sector and now works as a Senior Partnerships Adviser at the Fairtrade Foundation. She also held positions as the Head of Programme Partnerships and Head of Institutional Fundraising at the Foundation.
The couple was blessed with two boys Adam, 36, and Matthew, 32. Meanwhile, Matt has followed in his father’s footsteps as a writer, and works as editor-in-chief for creative agency It’s Nice That.
George Alagiah Career
Alagiah began his career as a print journalist for South Magazine. In that position, he served for seven years. Later on, he joined BBC as a developing World correspondent. He also served as the Southern Africa Correspondent. During his tenure, he did coverages on events such as the Rwanda genocide, the plight of the Marsh Arabs in southern Iraq, and civil wars in different countries including Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Somalia.
In 2002, George became the host of BBC Four News which was l ater renamed The
In July 2006 he became the presenter of World News Today and BBC Two, later renamed GMT in 2010. He was also the substitute anchor for BBC News at Ten in the absence of Edward and Fiona Bruce. Additionally, he has interviewed famous African leaders including the late Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Koffi Annan, and former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
George Alagiah Awards
His impeccable work has not gone unnoticed. He has received many awards including:
1. In 2001 he received the BAFTA award after he covered the Kosovo conflict.
2. In 1993 he got the Best International Report award from the Royal Television Society.
3. He got the Amnesty International UK Media Awards in 1994.
4. In 2010 he got the Outstanding Achievement in Television Award.
5. In 2020 his book The Burning Land was nominated for the Society of Authors’ Award. The book has captured the corruption and homicide that occurred in South Africa
George Alagiah Books
He is the author of the following books:
1. The Burning Land (2019).
2. A Home from Home: From Immigrant Boy to English Man (2006).
3. A Passage to Africa (2001).
George Alagiah Cause of Death
Alagiah who was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2014 died on July 24, 2023. The journalist was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2014 and was forced to take a break from television following his bowel cancer diagnosis. After undergoing treatment he revealed on social media in October 2015 that he would return to work, subsequently appearing on-screen in November.
In 2016, Alagiah said he was a ‘richer person’ for his cancer diagnosis, which saw him undergo several rounds of chemotherapy and three major operations, one of which included the removal of most of his liver.
Alagiah’s health was back in the headlines in March 2020, when amid a global pandemic he tested positive for Covid-19. In June 2020, Alagiah revealed the cancer had spread to his lungs but delivered a typically philosophical judgment. He told the Times newspaper: “My doctors have never used the word ‘chronic’ or ‘cure’ about my cancer.
“They’ve never used the word ‘terminal’ either. I’ve always said to my oncologist, ‘Tell me when I need to sort my affairs out’, and he’s not told me that, but what he did tell me is that the cancer is now in a third organ. It is in my lungs.”
Alagiah said he had kept the development a secret, only telling his editor.
In October 2021, a representative for Alagiah announced that he would be taking a step back from his presenting and journalism duties as he deals with ‘a further spread of cancer’.
During an interview in January 2022, Alagiah spoke candidly about his long battle with cancer, saying “it will get me in the end,” before adding “I’m hoping it’s a long time from now, but I’m very lucky”.
Alagiah temporarily returned to BBC News At Six in April 2022. However, in October he once again announced that he had been forced to take time away from his work after scans showed that the cancer had spread further.
Naga Munchetty burst into tears live on BBC Radio Five as she learned her colleague had died – while an emotional Clive Myrie and Fiona Bruce paid tribute to a ‘giant of journalism’.
Munchetty was halfway through her live radio show when she learned the news and interrupted a sports bulletin on BBC Radio Five just after midday.
She said: “We’ve had the very sad news that our colleague George Alagiah, BBC presenter – you all know him – who has been living with bowel cancer since 2014 – he has since stepped back from presenting BBC News.
“We’ve just heard the news he has died aged 65. We’ve just heard that from his agent.”
As her voice started to wobble, she continued: “Apologies for the emotion in my voice – he was so loved in our newsroom.”
George Alagiah Salary and Net worth
He was earning an approximate salary of $300K annually. He also had an estimated net worth of about $10 million.
Social Media Accounts
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