Dermot Murnaghan, TV presenter and long-time Sky News anchor, dies aged 68
Dermot Murnaghan, former TV presenter and long-time Sky News anchor, has died.
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On Saturday, his family announced that he passed away at home in North London following a period of illness with prostate cancer.
He died peacefully with his family at his side, they added.
The 68-year-old was a lead anchor for Sky News for 15 years until 2023.
Before that, he presented the news for Channel 4, ITV and the BBC, and was also known for hosting the popular quiz show Eggheads.
In a statement, the family wished to thank the medical teams who cared for Dermot with such sensitivity and extraordinary compassion throughout his illness.
They also thanked the many kind messages of goodwill that he received over the last year since his diagnosis of Stage IV cancer and his subsequent campaigning to raise awareness for screening programmes for the disease.
The family also requested that anyone wishing to remember him considers supporting Prostate Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer Research and North London Hospice so that others may benefit from the research and care he received.
Murnaghan announced his “incurable but it’s not untreatable” prostate cancer diagnosis last year and, following this, he became a vocal advocate and campaigner in raising awareness for the disease.
Murnaghan started his presenting career in 1989, hosting Channel 4’s breakfast programme and its business segments before becoming one of its lead presenters.
He later joined ITV and hosted programmes such as the ITV Lunchtime News and News at Ten, and led the coverage of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
He moved to ITV’s Evening News and Nightly News shows from 1999, and joined the BBC in the early 2000s where he hosted their flagship breakfast programme.
He was a main presenter of BBC Breakfast until 2007, and also hosted the popular quiz show Eggheads from 2003 until 2014. Murnaghan also worked for Sky News, where he presented his own show, discussing politics and current affairs.
The award-winning journalist later became a lead anchor for the broadcaster, and was the face their 2019 general election coverage and the death of Queen Elizabeth II, until his exit in 2023.
Murnaghan also hosted the documentaries Crimes That Shook Britain for Channel 5 and Killer Britain for the Crime + Investigation UK channel.