Despite the loss, the broadcaster continued to do her duty in presenting the BBC’s VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations
Sophie Raworth’s dad Richard died just days before she fronted the BBC’s VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations, the family has shared.
The 56-year-old newsreader hid the secret family heartbreak that her beloved dad lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease – a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement – while she was guiding the nation through the commemorations in London on Monday (May 5).
The family said in a statement to the Daily Mail newspaper’s Eden Confidential column: “[Richard] died peacefully after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
“[The businessman, photographer, jazz bass player and passionate gardener was] a man with a big heart and heaps of kindness and tenacity. We will miss him always.”
Despite Sophie grieving the loss of Richard, she continued to do her duty in presenting the BBC’s VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations.
The events included ‘Harry Potter’ actor Timothy Spall reading Sir Winston Churchill’s famous victory speech next to the late wartime Prime Minister’s statue in Parliament Square, members of the armed forces taking part in a march from Parliament to Buckingham Palace, as well as the iconic Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster Bomber zoomed over the royal residence.
The 80th anniversary of VE Day – which marked the end of World War II in Europe – falls on Thursday (May 8) and King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to attend a special service at Westminster Abbey, and the royals will also attend a large-scale concert at Horse Guards Palace in Whitehall, London.
Speaking about the star presenting on Monday, an unnamed colleague added: “It’s terribly sad, but Sophie was the consummate professional, as always.”
Sophie – who has three children, Ella, Oliver and Georgia, with her estate agent husband Richard Winter – has previously spoken about how Richard had Parkinson’s for “several years” and revealed in 2021 that she had run the London Marathon to raise money for the Cure Parkinson’s charity – which her father had supported.
She said at the time on her JustGiving fundraising page: “My dad has had Parkinson’s for several years now. It is a horrible disease. Yet he deals with it amazingly. He never complains, just gets on with it with kindness and good humour.”
