'It’s a great shock and words cannot express my sadness at this time.

It was Mr.

Way who broke the news of the death of her former husband Don Keating as she came off stage after hosting a TV chat show in 1997, she revealed that year.

Northern Irish broadcaster Eamonn Holmes, who got his break when he got Hunniford’s job at Good Evening Ulster, also paid tribute.

He wrote on Instagram: 'I feel the pain of Gloria my dear friend of 40 plus years on the loss of Stephen – a true gent and a scholar.

My genuine heartfelt condolences.

' Hunniford’s daughter Caron Keating, also a TV presenter, died after a battle with breast cancer in 2004, and she set up a foundation in her memory.

In 2017, Hunniford became an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her contribution to cancer charities through breast screening services and cancer support.

She started her career in television in her native Northern Ireland before going to London to work on the game show We Love TV, and hosting a Radio 2 programme for more than a decade.

Hunniford has been a continuous presence in living rooms around the country including on Loose Women, This Morning, Rip Off Britain, The Travelling Picture Show, Home Away From Home, and Food: Truth Or Scare.

The Portadown native appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, where she was partnered with Darren Bennett, and had a stint on The Masked Singer in 2022.