A LEGENDARY BBC presenter has bid an emotional farewell in his final radio show, leaving listeners in tears.

DJ Johnnie Walker concluded his final radio show with the heartfelt message, “may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts”.

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The broadcast included special messages from Sir Rod Stewart and his wife, Tiggy.

The 79-year-old veteran presenter signed off his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday afternoon.

He had hosted his last episode of The Rock Show on Friday, during which he played some of his “favourite rock anthems”.

Walker announced earlier this month that he was retiring from radio after 58 years due to ill health, having previously been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

After playing Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now, he closed the show by saying: “Here we are at the end of a 15-year run on Sunday afternoon’s Sounds Of The 70s and 58 years on British radio.

“It’s going to be very strange not to be on the wireless anymore. But also, by the same token, life will be slightly less of a strain, really, trying to find the breath to do programmes.

“So thank you for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love, and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts.

“God bless you. And I’ll end with this.”

For his final song, he played Judy Collins’ version of Amazing Grace.

Earlier this year the BBC Radio 2 legend spoke about his terminal illness, sharing that doctors warned he could “die at any moment”.

The music show host has worked for the Beeb since 1969, and currently heads up both Sounds of the 70s and The Radio 2 Rock Show.

He sadly suffered from a heart attack in 2019 and had to undergo a triple heart bypass.

Just one year later he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which is a condition where inflation of the lungs means breathing becomes difficult.

TIGGY

As his health deteriorated Johnnie had to start presenting his radio shows from his home in Dorset, where he receives round-the-clock care from his wife Tiggy.

During Carers Week the couple opened up about what it has been like for them living with the possibility of Johnnie passing at any moment hanging over their heads.

In a heartbreaking segment on their BBC Sounds podcast Tiggy admitted: “I’m so tired. Sometimes I find it hard to go on.”

She also shared that for the first six weeks after his diagnosis, she was heartbroken and already grieving the life they had together.

Medical consultants told the couple that Johnnie should “prepare to go at any moment”.

Tiggy added: “It was only by going to the doctors and going on antidepressants that I have kept going, because I was crying every single day and I was overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of everything I had to do.”

Johnnie was contemplative when he spoke about grappling with death, referring to having “only a finite amount of time left here in the physical before I pass over”.

The radio veteran showed a huge amount of empathy for his wife, putting himself in her shoes during their nightly routine by acknowledging she “very lovingly helps me get into bed and gives me a nice kiss good night, and then she has to wonder whether I’m still going to be alive in the morning, which must be pretty hard for her”.

He went on to say that she saved his life when he had cancer in 2006, adding: “Your love was just so sustaining, it gave me so much to look forward to. And your caring for me now makes my life so much better.”

THE nation’s favourite family TV shows of all time are Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent – and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

A poll of 2,000 adults revealed the top 20 family favourites, with The Generation Game, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Gladiators also featuring.

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It also emerged 56 per cent feel nostalgic for the classic family TV shows of the 90s, with 77 per cent claiming they loved Saturday nights in front of the TV when they were younger.

Nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) often have their tea in front of the telly at the weekend watching some classic family entertainment.

And 37 per cent who have a ‘family night in’ on Saturdays often get their evening meal sent in to minimise cooking while enjoying the TV.

The research was commissioned by McDonald’s UK, which has delivery bundles available on McDelivery until January.

A spokesperson said: “Saturday night TV offers a perfect opportunity for families to come together, relax, and enjoy quality time as a unit.

“In today’s busy world, where work, school, and other commitments often keep everyone on the go, it’s important to have moments where families can pause and reconnect.

Recent singing shows like X Factor, The Voice and The Masked Singer all appeared in the top 20 of the best family or Saturday evening entertainment programmes.

While 90s classics Noel’s House Party and The Crystal Maze also ranked highly.

More than a third (35 per cent) of families who watch Saturday night TV shows together feel ‘very much’ closer as a result.

But as many as 64 per cent believe the tradition of families watching TV together on Saturday nights has become less common in recent years.

With 55 per cent of respondents putting at least some of the blame for this on modern technology like smartphones and streaming services.

Three quarters (74 per cent) believe family TV shows should be able to cater to all age groups according to the OnePoll.com figures.

And the best things about settling back as a group on Saturday nights in front of the telly are spending time together (65 per cent) and relaxing as a family (53 per cent).

But overall, Brits reckon Saturday night TV shows are worse than they used to be – with 49 per cent feeling this way, compared to 21 per cent who reckon they’re better.

The spokesperson for McDonald’s, which has new delivery bundles including The Feed the Family Deal, added: “With the added fun of ordering a takeaway, Saturday nights become a time for shared laughter, conversation, and enjoying favourite shows, making it an event everyone looks forward to.”

STRICTLY dancer Amy Dowden could be forced to quit the contest after collapsing while filming Saturday night’s show and being rushed to hospital.

The Welsh pro, who has Crohn’s Disease and has been battling cancer for almost 18 months, was seen by paramedics at Elstree Studios.

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Her condition was so serious that the fire service were called and specialist equipment used to help her to an ambulance while keeping her completely flat.

Amy, 34, collapsed after she performed her dance with her celebrity partner — JLS singer JB Gill, 37 — during the main show.

She was unable to appear in the recording of the live show, which aired last night.

Instead hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly explained to viewers at home: “Before we get started, Amy isn’t able to be with us for tonight’s show.”

JB was seen standing alone on the staircase. When it was announced he was going through to next week, he smiled and said “Thank you” to cheers.

A Strictly insider said: “Amy was obviously in huge distress. “Everyone around her was equally upset because they felt so helpless.

“JB had to be given a hug. Even the medic who first attended to Amy needed support and consolation. The only thing they could do was try to get her to hospital as quickly and safely as possible.”

For the Halloween Special, Amy and JB dressed as scarecrows and performed to Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader at 7.18pm.

It’s understood Amy started to feel ill minutes after she and JB received a 32 out of 40 score from the judges at 7.25pm.

Amy cheered and jumped up and down when Motsi gave them a 9, and screamed when she got an 8 from Anton.

Amy was still seen standing and smiling with JB in the final line-up at around 8.10pm.

By 9pm an ambulance had been called and at 9.50pm the fire service were also contacted to assist.

Amy has talked at length about the excruciating pain she suffers as a result of her Crohn’s, an inflammatory disease of the digestive system often brought on by stress.

Her spokesman said yesterday: “Amy was feeling unwell and so an ambulance was called as a precaution. She’s feeling much better and would like to thank the Strictly family for their love and concern.”

‘Contingencies in place’

Yesterday morning the BBC released a statement saying: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Amy Dowden was unable to be in tonight’s results show.”

The BBC did not give any further detail with a spokeswoman adding only: “We have contingencies in place for all eventualities.”

No pro dancer has ever dropped out of Strictly in its 20 years.

Amy is hugely popular with fans, who would hate to see her having to leave the show.

Celebrities have had to leave — including comedian and actor Robert Webb who had a serious heart condition in the 2021 series.

It could mean that another pro may be brought in to replace Amy — either permanently or temporarily — if she is not considered well enough to return to rehearsals this week.

JLS star JB may decide he cannot continue without Amy.

An insider added: “They are incredibly close.

“She has helped him remain in the top band of the scoreboard since this series started.”

The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed: “We were called just after 9pm on Saturday to attend a medical emergency at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood.

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“An ambulance was sent to the scene. One patient, an adult female, was transported to Barnet Hospital for further care.”

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Mark Barber said: “Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called at 9.50pm to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. We assisted with the transfer of a female patient to an ambulance.”

Amy, from Caerphilly in South Wales, has been battling Crohn’s disease since she was a teenager.

She has been taken to hospital more than a hundred times because of it.

In a BBC documentary in 2020 she revealed the bittersweet secret that joining Strictly could have made her dreams come true — but losing her spot in the line-up would represent her worst nightmare.

I live in fear that what I love the most could be taken away

Amy Dowden

Amy said: “Strictly has been more than a dance show to me, it got me through the darkest times of my illness.

“For me it was a big inspiration to keep me dancing.

“Dancing has pulled me through my Crohn’s but it’s a battle.

“I live in fear that what I love the most could be taken away.”

In one scene in the Beeb documentary Amy was seen collapsing a day after completing the last Strictly tour, and ended up being rushed to hospital.

She said: “To the public watching me with all our make-up, fake tan, glitz, glamour and spotlights, it’s a different world. I don’t think they could ever imagine this could be me the next day.

“I knew things weren’t right but your body goes: ‘Right you’ve got to get through this, you don’t want to let anyone down, you can do this. And you can just push yourself through anything’.

“I can’t think of how many times I’ve been in hospital.

“It’s got to be at least over 100 times. When I was 18 or 19 it was every month at least for a week.”

‘What a difference a year can make’

Before her return to Strictly, Amy also faced months of cancer treatment and was forced to step back from the series last year.

She revealed that touching messages from fans help her to stay on the show, explaining: “I get so many messages about my smile.

“I always look back and think, ‘Gosh, this time last year I was having chemo, this time last year I was in hospital with a blood clot’.”

She added: “What a difference a year can make.

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“I get messages every day from people saying, ‘I’m going through chemo and you’re my hope’, or, ‘Because of you I’ve checked myself and I found a lump’, or something like this.

“I’m just grateful to be back and be in the position I am.”

Amy was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023.

Just a couple of months later she was told she had another type of cancer, which was found elsewhere in the body.

Following a mastectomy, she was told the tumours had spread and was diagnosed with cancer for the second time that July.

And in August 2024, her return to Strictly was thrown into chaos when doctors raised concerns about abnormalities in her breast following a check-up.

Amy later received the all-clear from her consultant.

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NATALIE J Robb looked worlds away from her Emmerdale character as she glammed up for a red carpet bash.

The soap star has played the fan-favourite role of Moira Dingle in the ITV show for 15 years.

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Moira, who has been apart of some of Emmerdale‘s biggest storylines, is known for her plain looks.

But actress Natalie couldn’t be further from her on-screen character as she recently stepped out.

The 49-year-old Scottish native wore a gorgeous sequined dress for an awards bash in Harrogate.

It was part of the town’s annual awards ceremony, which celebrates its locals for their hard work.

Natalie posed with 18-year-old Cory Leach, who scooped the Bravery Award for his recent health battles.

Emmerdale fans flooded Natalie with compliments on her look, including her new blonde look.

One said: “Absolutely spectacularly stunningly gorgeous Natalie.”

A second wrote: “You look beautiful beautiful as always hope the time your off screen goes quick.”

“You look amazing,” said a third.

While a fourth commented: “You look absolutely stunning Natalie.”

Emmerdale viewers have watched as Moira battles a brain tumour in the Dales.

It left her suffering from memory loss, seizures and hallucinations in shocking scenes.

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Strictly Come Dancing has eliminated its fifth celebrity contestant from the 2024 series.

BBC One’s popular dance competition continued on Saturday (26 October) night with its Halloween special, which saw the 11 celebrity contestants and their partners transform into ghoulish characters for their spooky season-inspired routines.

The episode saw Jamie Borthwick and his partner Michelle Tsiakkas top the leaderboard with their Addams Family-themed American Smooth to the film’s original theme, with the pair playing siblings Pugsley and Wednesday. They were in joint first place with Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, who floored the judges with their Argentine Tango to “Ready Or Not” by Fugees, and managed to secure 36 points despite suffering a lift mishap at the beginning of their routine.

It was Dr Punam Krishan, and her pro partner Gorka Márquez, who were placed in Sunday’s dance-off (27 October) opposite Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu.

Krishan and Márquez performed their Tango to “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics, followed by Ward and Xu who once again danced their Paso Doble to “In The Hall of The Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg.

Krishan was ultimately eliminated from the series followed by a unanimous vote from the judges.

Asked about her time on the compeition, Krishan said: “I am really proud of myself. You know I’ve taken on something that’s so out of my comfort zone. The one thing that I’ve very much learnt is to say yes more, and that there is no point in your life when you can stop learning new skills.

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“I’ve learnt more than dancing, I’ve learnt so much from Gorka. Everyone’s been so incredible and it’s just memories that I’ll take home forever and I am very proud. I’ve made my family very proud, I’m just really grateful.”

When host Tess Daly asked whether the TV doctor’s family are proud, she responded: “They really are. My kids are so proud, my parents, my husband, everyone. This is just one of those things that I have dreamt about for years and I think to have one of your dreams genuinely come true is just a surreal feeling. Week after week it’s been incredible, I’ve made friends for life and everyone’s just been so kind, so thank you.”

Her partner Márquez said: “It’s been incredible, it’s been a fantastic six weeks. I’m very proud of what she has achieved. She’s a GP and a mum. She had never danced before and I think she improved week by week.”

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“I think she is truly what the show is about, someone who doesn’t have experience in the performance world came here and learnt to dance,” he continued. “She wanted to do so well and worked so hard. Also I feel very proud and very honoured that we got to do a Bollywood dance, to represent your culture, show your culture to the world and open doors for so many people in your culture.”

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Krishan added: “Thank you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for giving me the gift of dancing. I’ve never danced before, but you’ve definitely sparked so much dancing. I want to learn more, and I definitely don’t think this will be the end of my journey dancing.”

The TV medic made history on Strictly when she performed the show’s first-ever Bollywood routine.

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Performing the choreography in a nod to her South Asian heritage, Krishan left the judges in tears with the landmark dance.

The song choice for the performance, “Bhole Chudiye”, is from the 2001 film Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, one of the highest-grossing movies in the Indian film industry.

Krishan said the performance meant “everything” to her, adding “you can’t be what you can’t see” as she said her four-year-old self would be proud.

She dedicated the dance to her late grandfather, who had always had concerns that his grandchildren would be out of touch with their South Asian culture.

Krishan’s exit follows the departure of footballer Paul Merson, who was eliminated last week, as well as Toyah Willcox, Nick Knowles and Tom Dean, who all left the competition in its earlier stages.

A CELEBRITY Big Brother legend returned to the TV house – sending this year’s housemates wild.

Fans of the reality show watched as the former winner appeared in the garden.

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As part of a new task, Emma was given a secret earpiece by Big Brother and told to follow his instructions.

Called the Totally Oblivious Task, every housemate bar Segun was involved.

It saw David Potts reappear in the garden, with housemates distracting Seugan as they brought the current CBB champ safely to the diary room.

Housemates were left stunned as they spotted the former Ibiza Weekender star, who was forbidden to say anything.

Reacting at home, one viewer said: “This task is brilliant. David was hilarious.”

A second wrote: “That task with David was so chaotic.”

“I jumped to conclusions seeing the teaser and ranted about the no outside contact thing. However as that was absolutely hilarious and David didn’t interact I take back what I said. That was great, and I apologise BB,” said a third.

While a fourth posted: “The way David was stressing me out. I would have been dragging him in that diary room.”

The task also saw 10 housemates have a secret rave in the bathroom, without arousing suspicion from Segun.

Marcello also had to hide a gigantic turkey from Segun before returning it to the diary room.

Big Brother then gathered the housemates and revealed the task to a gobsmacked Segun before confirming they had successfully passed.

Big Brother continues on ITV2 and ITVX.

Big Brother 2024 cast

A brand new batch of Big Brother housemates are living it up in the famous compound.

Meet the cast of the 2024 series:

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• Rosie, 29, dental assistant from Cornwall.
• Emma, 53, aesthetics business owner from Altrincham.
• Segun, 25, charity videographer from Watford.
• Nathan, 24, pork salesman from Dumfries.
• Daze, 24, climate activist from London.
• Khaled, 23, sales manager from Manchester.
• Martha, 26, NHS administrator from Scarborough.
• Lily, 20, Chinese takeaway server from Warrington.
• Ali, 30, Forensic psychologist from London.
• Thomas, 20 amputee footballer from Carlisle.
• Ryan, 28, marketing and events from Stockport.
• Hannah, 24, HR consultant from West London.
• Izaaz, 29, sales consultant from London.
• Sarah, 27, spa account manager from Shrewsbury.
• Marcello, 34, youth mentor from East London.
• Dean, 35, barber from East London